V  > 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
LOS  ANGELES 


•': 
-.' 


FRANK  THE  YOUNG 
NATURALIST 


BY 


HARRY  CASTLEMON  & 

)F  "Fl 

cv 


AUTHOR   OF   "FRANK   ON   A  GUN-BOAT,"   "FRANK   BEFORE 
VICKSBURG,"  ETC.,  ETC. 


NEW  YORK 
HURST    &    COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


PZ 


C 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  The  Home  of  the  Young  Naturalist 5 

II.  An  Ugly  Customer ...  18 

III.  The  Museum 34 

IV.  A  Race  on  the  Water 46 

V.  A  Fishing  Excursion 57 

VI.  The  Regulators 73 

VII.  The  Revenge 91 

VIII.  How  to  Spend  the  "  Fourth  " 105 

IX.  The  Coast-guards  Outwitted 117 

X.  A  Queer  Cousin 164 

XI.  Trout-Fishing 192 

XII.  A  Deer-Hunt  on  the  Water  211 

XHL  A  'Coon-Hunt 224 

XIV.  Bill  Lawson's  Revenge 244 

XV.  Wild  Geese 257 

XVI.  A  Chapter  of  Incidents 276 

XVII.  The  Grayhound  Outgeneralled. . , 291 


484134 

LIBRARY 


FRANK,  THE  YOUNG  NATURALIST. 


CHAPTER    I. 

THE  HOME  OF  THE  YOUNG  NATURALIST. 

ABOUT  one  hundred  miles  north  of  Augusta, 
the  Capital  of  Maine,  the  little  village  of  Law- 
rence is  situated.  A  range  of  high  hills  skirts 
its  western  side,  and  stretches  away  to  the 
north  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach;  while  be- 
fore the  village,  toward  the  east,  flows  the 
Kennebec  River. 

Near  the  base  of  the  hills  a  beautiful  stream, 
known  as  Glen's  Creek,  has  its  source;  and, 
after  winding  through  the  adjacent  meadows, 
and  reaching  almost  round  the  village,  finally 
empties  into  the  Kennebec.  Its  waters  are 
deep  and  clear,  and  flow  over  a  rough, 

5 


6          Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

gravelly  bed,  and  under  high  banks,  and 
through  many  a  little  nook  where  the  perch 
and  sunfish  love  to  hide.  This  creek,  about 
half  a  mile  from  its  mouth,  branches  off,  form- 
ing two  streams,  the  smaller  of  which  flows 
south,  parallel  with  the  river  for  a  short  dis- 
tance, and  finally  empties  into  it.  This  stream 
is  known  as  Ducks'  Creek,  and  it  is  very  ap- 
propriately named;  for,  although  it  is  but  a 
short  distance  from  the  village,  every  autumn, 
and  until  late  in  the  spring,  its  waters  are 
fairly  alive  with  wild  ducks,  which  find  secure 
retreats  among  the  high  bushes  and  reeds 
which  line  its  banks.  The  island  formed  by 
these  two  creeks  is  called  Reynard's  Island, 
from  the  fact  that  for  several  years  a  sly  old 
fox  held  possession  of  it,  in  spite  of  the  efforts 
of  the  village  boys  to  capture  him.  The  island 
contains,  perhaps,  twenty-five  acres,  and  is 
thickly  covered  with  hickory-trees;  and  there 
is  an  annual  strife  between  the  village  boys 
and  the  squirrels,  to  see  which  can  gather  the 
greater  quantity  of  nuts. 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.          7 

Directly  opposite  the  village,  near  the  middle 
of  the  river,  is  another  island,  called  Straw- 
berry Island,  from  the  great  quantity  of  that 
fruit  which  it  produces. 

The  fishing-grounds  about  the  village  are 
excellent.  The  river  affords  great  numbers  of 
perch,  black  bass,  pike,  and  muscalouge;  and 
the  numberless  little  streams  that  intersect  the 
country  fairly  swarm  with  trout,  and  the 
woods  abound  in  game.  This  attracts  sports- 
men from  other  places;  and  the  Julia  Burton, 
the  little  steamer  that  plies  up  and  down  the 
river,  frequently  brings  large  parties  of  ama- 
teur hunters  and  fishermen,  who  sometimes 
spend  months  enjoying  the  rare  sport. 

It  was  on  the  banks  of  Glen's  Creek,  about 
half  a  mile  from  the  village,  in  a  neat  little  cot- 
tage that  stood  back  from  the  road,  and  which 
was  almost  concealed  by  the  thick  shrubbery 
and  trees  that  surrounded  it,  that  FRANK  NEL- 
SON, the  young  naturalist,  lived.  His  father 
had  been  a  wealthy  merchant  in  the  city  of 
Boston ;  and,  after  his  death,  Mrs.  Nelson  had 


8          Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

removed  into  the  country  with  her  children, 
and  bought  the  place  of  which  we  are  speak- 
ing. Frank  was  a  handsome,  high-spirited  boy, 
about  sixteen  years  of  age.  He  was  kind, 
open-hearted,  and  generous ;  and  no  one  in  the 
village  had  more  friends  than  he.  But  his 
most  prominent  characteristic  was  persever- 
ance. He  was  a  slow  thinker,  and  some,  per- 
haps, at  first  sight,  would  have  pronounced 
him  "  dull ; "  but  the  unyielding  application 
with  which  he  devoted  himself  to  his  studies, 
or  to  anything  else  he  undertook,  overcame 
all  obstacles;  and  he  was  further  advanced, 
and  his  knowledge  was  more  thorough  than 
that  of  any  other  boy  of  the  same  age  in  the 
village.  He  never  gave  up  any  thing  he  under- 
took because  he  found  it  more  difficult  than  he 
had  expected,  or  hurried  over  it  in  a  "  slip- 
shod "  manner,  for  his  motto  was,  "  Whatever 
is  worth  doing  at  all,  is  worth  doing  well." 

At  the  time  of  which  we  write  Frank  was 
just  entering  upon  what  he  called  a  "  long  va- 
cation." He  had  attended  the  high-school  of 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.          9 

which  the  village  boasted  for  nearly  eight 
years,  with  no  intermission  but  the  vacations, 
and  during  this  time  he  had  devoted  himself 
with  untiring  energy  to  his  studies.  He  loved 
his  books,  and  they  were  his  constant  compan- 
ions. By  intense  application  he  succeeded  in 
working  his  way  into  the  highest  class  in 
school,  which  was  composed  of  young  men 
much  older  than  himself,  and  who  looked 
upon  him,  not  as  a  fellow-student,  but  as 
a  rival,  and  used  every  exertion  to  prevent 
him  from  keeping  pace  with  them.  But 
Frank  held  his  own  in  spite  of  their  efforts, 
and  not  unfrequently  paid  them  back  in  their 
own  coin  by  committing  his  lessons  more 
thoroughly  than  they. 

Things  went  on  so  for  a  considerable  time. 
Frank,  whose  highest  ambition  was  to  be  called 
the  best  scholar  in  his  class,  kept  steadily  gain- 
ing ground,  and  one  by  one  the  rival  students 
were  overtaken  and  distanced.  But  Frank 
had  some  smart  scholars  matched  against  him, 
and  he  knew  that  the  desired  reputation  was 


io        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

not  to  be  obtained  without  a  fierce  struggle; 
and  every  moment,  both  in  and  out  of  school, 
was  devoted  to  study. 

He  had  formerly  been  passionately  fond  of 
rural  sports,  hunting  and  fishing,  but  now  his 
fine  double-barrel  gun,  which  he  had  always 
taken  especial  care  to  keep  in  the  best  possible 
"  shooting  order,"  hung  in  its  accustomed 
place,  all  covered  with  dust.  His  fishing-rod 
and  basket  were  in  the  same  condition;  and 
Bravo,  his  fine  hunting-dog,  which  was  very 
much  averse  to  a  life  of  inactivity,  made  use  of 
his  most  eloquent  whines  in  vain. 

At  last  Frank's  health  began  to  fail  rapidly. 
His  mother  was  the  first  to  notice  it,  and  at 
the  suggestion  of  her  brother,  who  lived  in 
Portland,  she  decided  to  take  Frank  out  of 
school  for  at  least  one  year,  and  allow  him  but 
two  hours  each  day  for  study.  Perhaps  some 
of  our  young  readers  would  have  been  very 
much  pleased  at  the  thought  of  so  long  a  re- 
spite from  the  tiresome  duties  of  school ;  but  it 
was  a  severe  blow  to  Frank.  A  few  more 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        n 

months,  he  was  confident,  would  have  carried 
him  ahead  of  all  competitors.  But  he  always 
submitted  to  his  mother's  requirements,  no 
matter  how  much  at  variance  with  his  own 
wishes,  without  murmuring;  and  when  the 
spring  term  was  ended  he  took  his  books  under 
his  arm,  and  bade  a  sorrowful  farewell  to  his 
much-loved  school-room. 

It  is  June,  and  as  Frank  has  been  out  of 
school  almost  two  months,  things  begin  to  wear 
their  old  accustomed  look  again.  The  young 
naturalist's  home,  as  his  schoolmates  were  ac- 
customed to  say,  is  a  "  regular  curiosity  shop." 
Perhaps,  reader,  if  we  take  a  stroll  about  the 
premises,  we  can  find  something  to  interest  us. 

Frank's  room,  which  he  called  his  "  study," 
is  in  the  south  wing  of  the  cottage.  It  has  two 
windows,  one  looking  out  toward  the  road,  and 
the  other  covered  with  a  thick  blind  of  climb- 
ing roses,  which  almost  shut  out  the  light.  A 
book-case  stands  beside  one  of  the  windows, 
and  if  you  were  to  judge  from  the  books  it 
contained,  you  would  pronounce  Frank  quite 


12        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

at  literary  character.  The  two  upper  shelves 
tire  occupied  by  miscellaneous  books,  such  as 
Cooper's  novels,  Shakespeare's  works,  and  the 
like.  On  the  next  two  shelves  stand  Frank's 
choicest  books — natural  histories;  there  are 
sixteen  large  volumes,  and  he  knows  them  al- 
most by  heart.  The  drawers  in  the  lower  part 
of  the  case  are  filled  on  one  side  with  writing 
materials,  and  on  the  other  with  old  composi- 
tions, essays,  and  orations,  some  of  which  ex- 
hibit a  power  of  imagination  and  a  knowledge 
of  language  hardly  to  be  expected  in  a  boy  of 
Frank's  age.  On  the  top  of  the  case,  at  either 
end,  stand  the  busts  of  Clay  and  Webster,  and 
between  them  are  two  relics  of  Eevolutionary 
times,  a  sword  and  musket  crossed,  with  the 
words  "  Bunker  Hill "  printed  on  a  slip  of 
paper  fastened  to  them.  On  the  opposite  side 
of  the  room  stands  a  bureau,  the  drawers  of 
which  are  filled  with  clothing,  and  on  the  top 
are  placed  two  beautiful  specimens  of  Frank's 
handicraft.  One  is  a  model  of  a  "  fore-and- 
aft  "  schooner,  with  whose  rigging  or  hull  the 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        13 

most  particular  tar  could  not  find  fault.  The 
other  represents  a  "  scene  at  sea."  It  is  in- 
closed in  a  box  about  two  feet  long  and  a  foot 
and  a  half  in  height.  One  side  of  the  box  is 
glass,  and  through  it  can  be  seen  two  minia- 
ture vessels.  The  craft  in  the  foreground 
would  be  known  among  sailors  as  a  "  Jack." 
She  is  neither  a  brig  nor  a  bark,  but  rather  a 
combination  of  both.  She  is  armed,  and  the 
cannon  can  be  seen  protruding  from  her  port- 
holes. Every  sail  is  set,  and  she  seems  to 
be  making  great  exertion  to  escape  from  the 
other  vessel,  which  is  following  close  in  her 
wake.  The  flag  which  floats  at  her  peak,  bear- 
ing the  sign  of  the  "  skull  and  cross-bones,"  ex- 
plains it  all :  the  "  Jack  "  is  a  pirate ;  and  you 
could  easily  tell  by  the  long,  low,  black  hull, 
and  tall,  raking  masts  that  her  pursuer  is  a 
revenue  cutter.  The  bottom  of  the  box,  to 
which  the  little  vessels  are  fastened  in  such  a 
manner  that  they  appear  to  "  heel  "  under  the 
pressure  of  their  canvas,  is  cut  out  in  little 
hollows,  and  painted  blue,  with  white  caps,  to 


14        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

resemble  the  waves  of  the  ocean ;  while  a  thick, 
black  thunder-cloud,  which  is  painted  on  the 
sides  of  the  box,  and  appears  to  be  rising 
rapidly,  with  the  lightning  playing  around  its 
ragged  edges,  adds  greatly  to  the  effect  of  the 
scene. 

At  the  north  end  of  the  room  stands  a  case, 
similar  to  the  one  in  which  Frank  keeps  his 
books,  only  it  is  nearly  twice  as  large.  It  is 
filled  with  stuffed  "  specimens  " — birds,  nearly 
two  hundred  in  number.  There  are  bald 
eagles,  owls,  sparrows,  hawks,  cranes,  crows,  a 
number  of  different  species  of  ducks,  and  other 
water-fowl;  in  short,  almost  every  variety  of 
the  feathered  creation  that  inhabited  the  woods 
around  Lawrence  is  here  represented. 

At  the  other  end  of  the  room  stands  a  bed 
concealed  by  curtains.  Before  it  is  a  finely 
carved  wash-stand,  on  which  are  a  pitcher  and 
bowl,  and  a  towel  nicely  folded  lies  beside 
them.  In  the  corner,  at  the  foot  of  the  bed,  is 
what  Frank  called  his  "  sporting  cabinet."  A 
frame  has  been  erected  by  placing  two  posts 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        15 

against  the  wall,  about  four  feet  apart;  and 
three  braces,  pieces  of  board  about  six  inches 
wide,  and  long  enough  to  reach  from  one 
post  to  the  other,  are  fastened  securely 
to  them.  On  the  upper  brace  a  fine  jointed 
fish-pole,  such  as  is  used  in  "  heavy  "  fishing, 
protected  by  a  neat,  strong  bag  of  drilling, 
rests  on  hooks  which  have  been  driven  securely 
into  the  frame;  and  from  another  hook  close 
by  hangs  a  large  fish-basket  which  Frank,  who 
is  a  capital  fisherman,  has  often  brought  in 
filled  with  the  captured  denizens  of  the  river 
or  some  favorite  trout-stream.  On  the  next 

s 

lower  brace  hang  a  powder-flask  and  shot- 
pouch  and  a  double-barrel  shot-gun,  the  latter 
protected  from  the  damp  and  dust  by  a  thick, 
strong  covering.  On  the  lower  brace  hang  the 
clothes  the  young  naturalist  always  wears 
when  he  goes  hunting  or  fishing — a  pair  of 
sheep's-gray  pantaloons,  which  will  resist 
water  and  dirt  to  the  last  extremity,  a  pair  of 
long  boots,  a  blue  flannel-shirt,  such  as  is 
generally  worn  by  the  sailors,  and  an  India- 


1 6        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

rubber  coat  and  cap  for  rainy  weather.  A 
shelf  has  been  fastened  over  the  frame,  and  on 
this  stands  a  tin  box,  which  Frank  calls  his 
"fishing-box."  It  is  divided  into  apartments, 
which  are  filled  with  fish-hooks,  sinkers, 
bobbers,  artificial  flies,  spoon-hooks,  reels,  and 
other  tackle,  all  kept  in  the  nicest  order. 

Frank  had  one  sister,  but  no  brother.  Her 
name  was  Julia.  She  was  ten  years  of  age; 
and  no  boy  ever  had  a  lovelier  sister.  Like  her 
brother,  she  was  unyielding  in  perseverance, 
but  kind  and  trusting  in  disposition,  willing 
to  be  told  her  faults  that  she  might  correct 
them.  Mrs.  Nelson  was  a  woman  of  good, 
sound  sense;  always  required  implicit  obedi- 
ence of  her  children ;  never  flattered  them,  nor 
allowed  others  to  do  so  if  she  could  prevent  it. 
The  only  other  inmate  of  the  house  was  Aunt 
Hannah,  as  the  children  called  her.  She  had 
formerly  been  a  slave  in  Virginia,  and,  after 
years  of  toil,  had  succeeded  in  laying  by  suf- 
ficient money  to  purchase  her  freedom.  We 
have  already  spoken  of  Frank's  dog ;  but  were 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        17 

we  to  allow  the  matter  to  drop  here  it  would  be 
a  mortal  offense  in  the  eyes  of  the  young  natu- 
ralist, for  Brave  held  a  very  prominent  posi- 
tion in  his  affections.  He  was  a  pure-blotr  led 
Newfoundland,  black  as  jet,  very  active  and 
courageous,  and  there  was  nothing  in  the  hunt- 
ing line  that  he  did  not  understand ;  and  it  was 
a  well-established  saying  among  the  young 
Nimrods  of  the  village,  that  Frank,  with 
Brave's  assistance,  could  kill  more  squirrels  in 
any  given  time  than  any  three  boys  in  Law- 
rence. 


1 8        Frank,  The  Young  Naturaliit. 


CHAPTER   II. 

AN   UGLY  CUSTOMER. 

DIRECTLY  behind  the  cottage  stands  a  long, 
low,  neatly  constructed  building,  which  is 
divided  by  partitions  into  three  rooms,  of 
which  one  is  used  as  a  wood-shed,  another  for 
a  carpenter's  shop,  and  the  third  is  what  Frank 
calls  his  "museum."  It  contains  stuffed  birds 
and  animals,  souvenirs  of  many  a  well-con- 
tested fight.  Let  us  go  and  examine  them. 
About  the  middle  of  the  building  is  the  door 
which  leads  in  to  the  museum,  and,  as  you  en- 
ter, the  first  object  that  catches  your  eye  is  a 
large  wild-cat,  crouched  on  a  stand  which  is 
elevated  about  four  feet  above  the  floor,  his 
back  arched,  every  hair  in  his  body  sticking 
toward  his  head,  his  mouth  open,  displaying  a 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        19 

frightful  array  of  teeth,  his  ears  laid  back  close 
to  his  head,  and  his  sharp  claws  spread  out, 
presenting  altogether  a  savage  appearance; 
and  you  are  glad  that  you  see  him  dead  and 
stuffed,  and  not  alive  and  running  at  liberty  in 
the  forest  in  the  full  possession  of  strength. 
But  the  young  naturalist  once  stood  face  to 
face  with  this  ugly  customer  under  very  dif- 
ferent circumstances. 

About  forty  miles  north  of  Lawrence  lives 
an  old  man  named  Joseph  Lewis.  He  owns 
about  five  hundred  acres  of  land,  and  in  sum- 
mer he  "  farms  it  "  very  industriously ;  but  as 
soon  as  the  trapping  season  approaches  he 
leaves  his  property  to  the  care  of  his  hired 
men,  and  spends  most  of  the  time  in  the  woods. 
About  two-thirds  of  his  farm  is  still  in  its 
primeval  state,  and  bears,  wild-cats,  and 
panthers  abound  in  great  numbers.  The  vil- 
lage boys  are  never  more  delighted  than  when 
the  winter  vacation  comes,  and  they  w 
the  permission  of  their  parents  to  spend  a  ttfe  _ 
night  with  "  Uncle  Joe,"  as  they  call  him. 


2o        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

The  old  man  is  always  glad  to  see  them,  and 
enlivens  the  long  winter  evenings  with  many  a 
thrilling  story  of  his  early  life.  During  the 
winter  that  had  just  passed,  Frank,  in  com- 
pany with  his  cousin,  Archie  Winters,  of  whom 
more  hereafter,  paid  a  visit  to  Uncle  Joe.  One 
cold,  stormy  morning,  as  they  sat  before  a 
blazing  fire,  cracking  hickory-nuts,  the  farmer 
burst  suddenly  into  the  house,  which  was  built 
of  logs,  and  contained  but  one  room,  and  com- 
menced taking  down  his  rifle. 

"  What's  the  matter,  Uncle  Joe?  "  inquired 
Archie. 

"  Matter !  "  repeated  the  farmer ;  "  why, 
some  tarnal  varmint  got  into  my  sheep-pen 
last  night,  and  walked  off  with  some  of  my 
mutton.  Conie,"  he  continued,  as  he  slung  on 
his  bullet-pouch,  "  let's  go  and  shoot  him." 

Frank  and  Archie  were  ready  in  a  few  min- 
utes ;  and,  after  dropping  a  couple  of  buck-shot 
into  each  barrel  of  their  guns,  followed  the 
farmer  out  of  the  sheep-pen.  It  was  storming 
violently,  and  it  was  with  great  difficulty  that 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        21 

they  could  find  the  "  varmint's  "  track.  After 
half  an  hour's  search,  however,  with  the  assist- 
ance of  the  farmer's  dogs,  they  discovered  it, 
and  began  to  follow  it  up,  the  dogs  leading  the 
way.  But  the  snow  had  fallen  so  deep  that  it 
almost  covered  the  scent,  and  they  frequently 
found  themselves  at  fault.  After  following 
the  track  for  two  hours,  the  dogs  suddenly 
stopped  at  a  pile  of  hemlock-boughs,  and  be- 
gan to  whine  and  scratch  as  if  they  had  dis- 
covered something. 

"  Wai,"  said  Uncle  Joe,  dropping  his  rifle 
into  the  hollow  of  his  arm,  "  the  hounds  Jiave 
found  some  of  the  mutton,  but  the  varmint 
has  took  himself  safe  off." 

The  boys  quickly  threw  aside  the  boughs, 
and  in  a  few  moments  the  mangled  remains  of 
one  of  the  sheep  were  brought  to  light.  The 
thief  had  probably  had  more  than  enough  for 
one  meal,  and  had  hidden  the  surplus  carefully 
away,  intending,  no  doubt,  to  return  and  make 
a  meal  of  it  when  food  was  not  quite  so  plenty. 

"  Wai,  boys,"  said  the  farmer,  "  no  use  to 


22        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

try  to  foller  the  varmint  any  further.  Put  the 
sheep  back  where  you  found  it,  and  this  after- 
noon you  can  take  one  of  your  traps  and  set 
it  so  that  you  can  ketch  him  when  he  conies 
back  for  what  he  has  left."  So  saying,  he 
shouldered  his  rifle  and  walked  off,  followed  by 
his  hounds. 

In  a  few  moments  the  boys  had  placed  every 
thing  as  they  had  found  it  as  nearly  as  possi- 
ble, and  hurried  on  after  the  farmer. 

That  afternoon,  after  disposing  of  an  excel- 
lent dinner,  Frank  and  Archie  started  into 
the  woods  to  set  a  trap  for  the  thief.  They 
took  with  them  a  large  wolf-trap,  weighing 
about  thirty  pounds.  It  was  a  "  savage  thing/' 
as  Uncle  Joe  said,  with  a  powerful  spring  on 
each  side,  which  severely  taxed  their  united 
strength  in  setting  it;  and  its  thick,  stout 
jaws,  which  came  together  with  a  noise  like 
the  report  of  a  gun,  were  armed  with  long, 
sharp  teeth;  and  if  a  wolf  or  panther  once  got 
his  foot  between  them,  he  might  as  well  give 
up  without  a  struggle.  Instead  of  their  guns, 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        23 

each  shouldered  an  ax.  Frank  took  possession 
of  the  trap,  and  Archie  carried  a  piece  of  heavy 
chain  with  which  to  fasten  the  "  clog  "  to  the 
trap.  Half  an  hour's  walk  brought  them  to 
the  place  where  the  wild-cat  had  buried  his 
plunder.  After  considerable  exertion  they  suc- 
ceeded in  setting  the  trap,  and  placed  it  in 
such  a  manner  that  it  would  be  impossible  for 
any  animal  to  get  at  the  sheep  without  being 
caught.  The  chain  was  then  fastened  to  the 

Vh 

trap,  and  to  this  was  attached  the  clog,  which 
was  a  long,  heavy  limb.  Trappers,  when  they 
wish  to  take  such  powerful  animals  as  the  bear 
or  panther,  always  make  use  of  the  clog.  They 
never  fasten  the  trap  to  a  stationary  object. 
When  the  animal  finds  that  he  is  caught,  his 
first  impulse  is  to  run.  The  clog  is  not  heavy 
enough  to  hold  him  still,  but  as  he  drags  it 
through  the  woods,  it  is  continually  catching 
on  bushes  and  trees,  and  retarding  his  prog- 
ress. But  if  the  animal  should  find  himself 
unable  to  move  at  all,  his  long,  sharp  teeth 
would  be  put  to  immediate  use,  and  he  would 


24        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

hobble  off  on  three  feet,  leaving  the  other  in 
the  trap. 

After  adjusting  the  clog  to  their  satisfac- 
tion, they  threw  a  few  handfuls  of  snow  over 
the  trap  and  chain,  and,  after  bestowing  a  few 
finishing  touches,  they  shouldered  their  axes 
and  started  toward  the  house.  The  next  morn- 
ing, at  the  first  peep  of  day,  Frank  and  Archie 
started  for  the  woods,  with  their  dogs  close 
at  their  heels.  As  they  approached  the  spot 
where  the  trap  had  been  placed  they  held  their 
guns  in  readiness,  expecting  to  find  the  wild- 
cat secure.  But  they  were  disappointed ;  every 
thing  was  just  as  they  had  left  it,  and  there 
were  no  signs  of  the  wild-cat  having  been  about 
during  the  night.  Every  night  and  morning 
for  a  week  they  were  regular  in  their  visits  to 
the  trap,  but  not  even  a  twig  had  been  moved. 
Two  weeks  more  passed,  and  during  this  time 
they  visited  the  trap  but  once.  At  length  the 
time  allotted  for  their  stay  at  Uncle  Joe's  ex- 
pired. On  the  evening  previous  to  the  day  set 
for  their  departure,  as  they  sat  before  the  huge, 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        25 

old-fashioned  fireplace,  telling  stories  and  eat- 
ing nuts,  Uncle  Joe  suddenly  inquired,  "  Boys, 
did  you  bring  in  your  trap  that  you  set  for  that 
wild-cat?" 

They  had  not  thought  of  it;  they  had  been 
hunting  nearly  every  day,  enjoying  rare  sport, 
and  they  had  entirely  forgotten  that  they  had 
a  trap  to  look  after. 

"  We  shall  be  obliged  to  let  it  go  until  to- 
morrow," said  Frank. 

And  the  next  morning,  as  soon  as  it  was 
light,  he  was  up  and  dressed,  and  shouldering 
an  ax,  set  out  with  Brave  as  a  companion,  leav- 
ing Archie  in  a  sound  sleep.  It  was  very  care- 
less in  him  not  to  take  his  gun — a  "  regular 
boy's  trick,"  as  Uncle  Joe  afterward  re- 
marked ;  but  it  did  not  then  occur  to  him  that 
he  was  acting  foolishly;  and  he  trudged  off, 
whistling  merrily.  A  few  moments'  rapid 
walking  brought  him  to  the  place  where  the 
trap  had  been  set.  How  he  started!  There 
lay  the  remains  of  the  sheep  all  exposed.  The 
snow  near  it  was  saturated  with  blood,  and  the 


26        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

trap,  clog,  and  all  were  gone.  What  was  he 
to  do  ?  He  was  armed  with  an  ax,  and  he  knew 
that  with  it  he  could  make  but  a  poor  show 
of  resistance  against  an  enraged  wild  animal ; 
and  he  knew,  too,  that  one  that  could  walk 
off  with  fifty  pounds  fast  to  his  leg  would  be 
an  ugly  customer  to  handle.  He  had  left 
Brave  some  distance  back,  digging  at  a  hole 
in  a  stump  where  a  mink  had  taken  refuge,  and 
he  had  not  yet  come  up.  If  the  Newfound- 
lander had  been  by  his  side  he  would  have  felt 
comparatively  safe.  Frank  stood  for  some 
minutes  undecided  how  to  act.  Should  he  go 
back  to  the  house  and  get  assistance?  Even 
if  he  had  concluded  to  do  so  he  would 
not  have  considered  himself  a  coward ;  for,  at- 
tacking a  wounded  wild-cat  in  the  woods,  with 
nothing  but  an  ax  to  depend  on,  was  an  under- 
taking that  would  have  made  a  larger  and 
stronger  person  than  Frank  hesitate.  Their 
astonishing  activity  and  strength,  and  wonder- 
ful tenacity  of  life,  render  them  antagonists 
not  to  be  despised.  Besides,  Frank  was  but  a 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        27 

boy,  and  although  strong  and  active  for  his 
age,  and  possessing  a  good  share  of  determined 
courage  that  sometimes  amounted  almost  to 
rashness,  it  must  be  confessed  that  his  feelings 
were  not  of  the  most  enviable  nature.  He  had 
not  yet  discovered  the  animal,  but  he  knew 
that  he  could  not  be  a  great  distance  off,  for 
the  weight  of  the  trap  and  clog  would  retard 
him  exceedingly;  and  he  judged  from  the  ap- 
pearance of  things,  that  he  had  not  been  long 
in  the  trap ;  perhaps,  at  that  very  moment,  his 
glaring  eyes  were  fastened  upon  him  from 
some  neighboring  thicket. 

But  the  young  naturalist  was  not  one  to  hesi- 
tate long  because  there  was  difficulty  or  danger 
before  him.  He  had  made  up  his  mind  from 
the  first  to  capture  that  wild-cat  if  possible, 
and  now  the  opportunity  was  fairly  before 
him.  His  hand  was  none  of  the  steadiest  as  he 
drew  his  glove  and  placed  his  fingers  to  his 
lips;  and  the  whistle  that  followed  was  low 
and  tremulous,  very  much  unlike  the  loud, 
clear  call  with  which  he  was  accustomed  to 


28        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

let  Brave  know  that  he  was  wanted;  and  he 
hardly  expected  that  the  dog  would  hear  it. 
A  faint,  distant  bark,  however,  announced  that 
the  call  had  been  heard,  and  in  a  few  moments 
Frank  heard  Brave's  long-measured  bounds 
as  he  dashed  through  the  bushes;  and  when 
the  faithful  animal  came  in  sight,  he  felt  that 
he  had  a  friend  that  would  stand  by  him  to  the 
last  extremity.  At  this  juncture  Frank  was 
startled  by  a  loud  rattling  in  the  bushes,  and 
the  next  moment  the  wild-cat  sprang  upon  a 
fallen  log,  not  half  a  dozen  rods  from  the  place 
where  he  was  standing,  and,  growling  fiercely, 
crouched  and  lashed  his  sides  with  his  tail  as 
if  about  to  spring  toward  him.  The  trap  hung 
from  one  of  his  hind-legs;  but  by  some  means 
he  had  relieved  himself  of  the  clog  and  chain, 
and  he  moved  as  if  the  weight  of  the  trap  were 
no  inconvenience  whatever.  The  young  nat- 
uralist was  frightened  indeed,  but  bravely 
stood  his  ground,  and  clutched  his  ax  desper- 
ately. What  would  he  not  have  given  to  have 
had  his  trusty  double-barrel  in  his  hands !  But 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        29 

he  was  not  allowed  much  time  for  reflection. 
Brave  instantly  discovered  the  wild-cat,  and 
sprang  toward  him,  uttering  an  angry  growl. 
Frank  raised  his  ax  and  rushed  forward  to 
his  assistance,  and  cheered  on  the  dog  with  a 
voice  which,  to  save  his  life,  he  could  not 
raise  above  a  whisper.  The  wild-cat  crouched 
lower  along  the  log,  and  his  actions  seemed  to 
indicate  that  he  intended  to  show  fight* 
Brave's  long>  eager  bounds  brought  him  nearer 
and  nearer  to  his  enemy.  A  moment  more 
and  he  could  have  seized  him;  but  the  wild- 
cat suddenly  turned  and  sprang  lightly  into 
the  air,  and,  catching  his  claws  into  a  tree  that 
stood  full  twenty  feet  distant,  ascended  it  like 
a  streak  of  light;  and,  after  settling  himself 
between  two  large  limbs,  glared  down  upon  his 
foes  as  if  he  were  already  ashamed  of  having 
made  a  retreat,  and  had  half  a  mind  to  return 
and  give  them  battle.  Brave  reached  the  log 
just  a  moment  too  late,  and  finding  his  enemy 
fairly  out  of  his  reach,  he  quietly  seated  him- 


3o        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

self  at  the  foot  of  the  tree  and  waited  for 
Frank  to  come  up. 

"  Good  gracious !  "  exclaimed  the  young  nat- 
uralist, wiping  his  forehead  with  his  coat- 
sleeve,  (for  the  exciting  scene  through  which 
he  had  just  passed  had  brought  the  cold  sweat 
from  every  pore  in  his  body ) ;  "  it  is  a  lucky 
circumstance  for  you  and  me,  Brave,  that  the 
varmint  did  not  stand  and  show  fight." 

Then  ordering  the  dog  to  "  sit  down  and 
watch  him,"  the  young  naturalist  threw  down 
his  ax,  and  started  toward  the  house  for  his 
gun.  He  was  still  very  much  excited,  fearful 
that  the  wild-cat  might  take  it  into  his  head 
to  come  down  and  give  the  dog  battle,  in  which 
case  he  would  be  certain  to  escape;  for,  al- 
though Brave  was-n  very  powerful  and  cour- 
ageous dog,  he  could  make  but  a  poor  show 
against  the  sharp  teeth  and  claws  of  the  wild- 
cat. The  more  Frank  thought  of  it,  the  more 
excited  he  became,  and  the  faster  he  ran.  In 
a  very  few  moments  he  reached  the  house,  and 
burst  into  the  room  where  Uncle  Joe  and  Ar- 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        31 

chie  and  two  or  three  hired  men  sat  at  break- 
fast. Frank  seemed  not  to  notice  them,  but 
made  straight  across  the  room  toward  the 
place  where  his  shot-gun  hung  against  the 
wall,  upsetting  chairs  in  his  progress,  and 
creating  a  groat  confusion. 

"  What  in  tarnation  is  the  matter? "  ex- 
claimed the  farmer,  rising  to  his  feet. 

"  I've  found  the  wild-cat,"  answered  Frank, 
in  a  scarcely  audible  voice. 

"What's  that?"  shouted  Archie,  springing 
to  his  feet,  and  upsetting  his  chair  and  coffee- 
cup. 

But  Frank  could  not  wait  to  answer.  One 
bound  carried  him  across  the  floor  and  out  of 
the  door,  and  he  started  across  the  field  at  the 
top  of  his  speed,  dropping  a  handful  of  buck- 
shot into  each  barrel  of  his  gun  as  he  went.  I-t 
was  not  until  Frank  had  left  the  house  that 
Archie,  so  to  speak,  came  to  himself.  He  had 
been  so  astonished  at  his  cousin's  actions  and 
the  announcement  that  he  had  "found  the 
wild-cat,"  that  he  seemed  to  be  deprived  of  ac- 


$1        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

tion  But  Frank  had  not  made  a  dozen  steps 
from  the  house  before  Archie  made  a  dash  for 
his  gon,  and  occasioned  a  greater  uproar  than 
Frank  had  done ;  and,  not  stopping  to  hear  the 
farmer's  injunction  to  "  be  careful,"  he  darted 
out  the  door,  which  Frank  in  his  hurry  had 
left  open,  and  started  toward  the  woods  at  a 
rate  of  speed  that  would  have  done  credit  to 
a  larger  boy  than  himself.  But  Frank  gained 
rapidly  on  him ;  and  when  he  reached  the  tree 
where  the  wild-cat  had  taken  refuge,  Archie 
was  fully  twenty  rods  behind.  He  found  that 
the  animals  had  not  changed  their  positions. 
The  wild-cat  was  glaring  fiercely  down  upon 
the  dog  as  if  endeavoring  to  look  him  out 
of  countenance;  and  Brave,  seated  on  his 
haunches,  with  his  head  turned  on  one  side, 
and  his  tongue  hanging  out  of  the  side  of  his 
mouth,  was  steadily  returning  the  gaze.  Frank 
took  a  favorable  position  at  a  little  distance 
from  the  foot  of  the  tree,  and  cocking  both  bar- 
rels, so  as  to  be  ready  for  any  emergency,  in 
case  the  first  should  not  prove  fatal,  raised  his 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        33 

gun  to  his  shoulder,  and  glancing  along  the 
clean,  brown  tube,  covered  one  of  the  wild-cat's 
eyes  with  the  fatal  sight,  and  pressed  the  trig- 
ger. There  was  a  sharp  report,  and  the  animal 
fell  from  his  perch,  stone-dead.  At  this  mo- 
ment Archie  came  up.  After  examining  their 
prize  to  their  satisfaction,  the  boys  commenced 
looking  around  through  the  bushes  to  find  the 
clog  which  had  been  detached  from  the  trap. 
After  some  moments'  search  they  discovered 
it;  and  Archie  unfastened  the  chain,  and, 
shouldering  the  ax  and  guns,  he  started  to- 
ward the  house.  Frank  followed  after,  with 
the  wild-cat  on  his  shoulder,  the  trap  still 
hanging  to  his  leg.  The  skin  was  carefully 
taken  off;  and  when  Archie  and  Frank  got 
home,  they  stuffed  it,  and  placed  it  as  we  now 
see  it. 


34        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 


CHAPTER    III. 

THE  MUSEUM. 

LET  us  now  proceed  to  examine  the  other 
objects  in  the  museum.  A  wide  shelf,  elevated 
about  four  feet  above  the  floor,  extends  entirely 
around  the  room,  and  on  this  the  specimens  are 
mounted.  On  one  side  of  the  door  stands  a 
tall,  majestic  elk,  with  his  head  thrown  for- 
ward, and  his  wide-spreading  antlers  lowered, 
as  if  he  meant  to  dispute  our  entrance.  On 
the  opposite  side  is  a  large  black  fox,  which 
stands  with  one  foot  raised  and  his  ears 
thrown  forward,  as  if  listening  to  some  strange 
sound.  This  is  the  same  fox  which  so  long 
held  possession  of  Reynard's  Island;  and  the 
young  naturalist  and  his  cousin  were  the  ones 
who  succeeded  in  capturing  him.  The  next 
two  scenes  are  what  Frank  calls  his  "  master- 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        35 

pieces."  The  first  is  a  large  buck,  running  for 
dear  life,  closely  followed  by  a  pack  of  gaunt, 
hungry  wolves,  five  in  number,  with  their 
sharp-pointed  ears  laid  back  close  to  their 
heads,  their  tongues  hanging  out  of  their 
mouths,  and  their  lips  spotted  with  foam.  The 
flanks  of  the  buck  are  dripping  with  blood 
from  wounds  made  by  their  long  teeth.  In 
the  next  scene  the  buck  is  at  bay.  Almost 
tired  out,  or,  perhaps,  too  closely  pressed  by 
his  pursuers,  he  has  at  length  turned  furiously 
upon  them,  to  sell  his  life  as  dearly  as  possible. 
Two  of  the  wolves  are  lying  a  little  distance 
off,  where  they  have  been  tossed  by  the  power- 
ful buck,  one  dead,  the  other  disabled ;  and  the 
buck's  sharp  antlers  are  buried  deep  in  the  side 
of  another,  which  had  attempted  to  seize  him. 
Well  may  Frank  be  proud  of  these  specimens, 
for  they  are  admirably  executed.  The  animals 
are  neatly  stuffed,  and  look  so  lifelike  and  the 
positions  are  so  natural,  that  you  could  almost 
fancy  that  you  hear  the  noise  of  the  scuffle. 
The  next  scene  represents  an  owl,  which,  while 


36        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

engaged  in  one  of  his  nocturnal  plundering  ex- 
peditions, has  been  overtaken  by  daylight,  and 
not  being  able  to  reach  his  usual  hiding-place, 
he  has  taken  refuge  in  a  clump  of  bushes, 
where  he  has  been  discovered  by  a  flock  of  his 
inveterate  enemies,  the  crows.  The  owl  sits 
upon  his  perch,  glaring  around  with  his  great 
eyes,  while  his  tormenters  surround  him  on  all 
sides,  their  mouths  wide  open,  as  if  reviling 
their  enemy  with  all  their  might.  The  next 
scene  represents  a  flock  of  ducks  sporting  in 
the  water,  and  a  sly  old  fox,  concealed  behind 
the  trunk  of  a  tree  close  by,  is  watching  their 
motions,  evidently  with  the  intention  of  "  bag- 
ging "  one  of  them  for  his  supper.  In  the  next 
scene  he  is  running  off,  at  full  speed,  with  one 
of  the  ducks  thrown  over  his  shoulder ;  and  the 
others,  with  their  mouths  open  as  if  quacking 
loudly,  are  just  rising  from  the  water.  In 

the  next  scene  is  a  large  black  wolf,  which  has 
just  killed  a  lamb,  and  crouches  over  it  with 
open  mouth,  as  if  growling  fiercely  at  some- 
thing whick  is  about  to  interrupt  hi*  feast. 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        37 

The  next  scene  represents  a  fish-hawk,  which 
has  just  risen  from  the  lake,  with  a  large  trout 
struggling  in  his  talons;  and  just  above  him 
is  a  bald-eagle,  with  his  wings  drawn  close  to 
his  body,  in  the  act  of  swooping  down  upon  the 
fish-hawk,  to  rob  him  of  his  hard-earned  booty. 
In  the  next  scene  a  raccoon  is  attempting  to 
seize  a  robin,  which  he  has  frightened  off  her 
nest.  The  thief  had  crawled  out  on  the  limb 
on  which  the  nest  was  placed,  intending,  no 
doubt,  to  make  a  meal  of  the  bird ;  but  mother 
Robin,  ever  on  the  watch,  had  discovered  her 
enemy,  and  flown  off  just  in  time  to  escape. 
The  next  scene  is  a  large  "  dead-fall "  trap, 
nicely  set,  with  the  bait  placed  temptingly 
within ;  and  before  it  crouches  a  sleek  marten, 
peeping  into  it,  as  if  undecided  whether  to 
enter  or  not. 

All  these  specimens  have  been  cured  and 
stuffed  by  Frank  and  Archie;  and,  with  the 
exception  of  the  deer  and  wolves,  they  had 
killed  them  all.  The  latter  had  been  furnished 
by  Archie's  father.  The  boys  had  never  killed 


38        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

a  deer,  and  he  had  promised  to  take  them,  dur- 
ing the  coming  winter,  with  him  up  into  the 
northern  part  of  the  state,  where  they  would 
have  an  opportunity  of  trying  their  skill  on 
the  noble  game. 

But  the  museum  is  not  the  only  thing  that 
has  given  Frank  the  name  of  the  "  young  nat- 
uralist." He  is  passionately  fond  of  pets,  and 
he  has  a  pole  shanty  behind  the  museum,  which 
he  keeps  well  stocked  with  animals  and  birds. 
In  one  cage  he  has  a  young  hawk,  which  he 
has  just  captured;  in  another,  a  couple  of 
squirrels,  which  have  become  so  tame  that  he 
can  allow  them  to  run  about  the  shanty  with- 
out the  least  fear  of  their  attempting  to  escape. 
Then  he  has  two  raccoons,  several  pigeons, 
kingbirds,  quails,  two  young  eagles,  and  a 
fox,  all  undergoing  a  thorough  system  of  train- 
ing. But  his  favorite  pets  are  a  pair  of  king- 
birds and  a  crow,  which  are  allowed  to  run 
at  large  all  the  time.  They  do  not  live  on  very 
good  terms  with  each  other.  In  their  wild 
state  they  are  enemies,  and  each  seems  to  think 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        39 

the  other  has  no  business  about  the  cottage; 
and  Frank  has  been  the  unwilling  witness  to 
many  a  desperate  fight  between  them,  in  which 
the  poor  crow  always  comes  off  second  best. 
Then,  to  console  himself,  he  will  fly  upon 
Frank's  shoulder,  cawing  with  all  his  might, 
as  if  scolding  him  for  not  lending  some  assist- 
ance. To  make  amends  for  his  defeat,  Frank 
gives  him  a  few  kernels  of  corn,  and  then 
shows  him  a  hawk  sailing  through  the  air ;  and 
Sam,  as  he  calls  the  crow,  is  off  in  an  instant, 
and,  after  tormenting  the  hawk  until  he 
reaches  the  woods,  he  will  always  return. 

Not  a  strange  bird  is  allowed  to  come  about 
the  cottage.  The  king-birds,  which  have  a  nest 
in  a  tree  close  by  the  house,  keep  a  sharp  look- 
out ;  and  hawks,  eagles,  crows,  and  even  those 
of  their  own  species,  all  suffer  alike.  But  now 
and  then  a  spry  little  wren  pays  a  visit  to  the 
orchard,  and  then  there  is  sport  indeed.  The 
wren  is  a  great  fighting  character,  continually 
getting  into  broils  with  the  other  birds,  and  he 
has  no  notion  of  being  driven  off;  and,  al- 


40        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

though  the  kingbirds,  with  Sam's  assistance, 
generally  succeed  in  expelling  the  intruder,  it 
is  only  after  a  hard  fight. 

Directly  opposite  the  door  that  opens  into 
the  museum  is  another  entrance,  which  leads 
into  a  room  which  Frank  calls  his  shop.  A 
work-bench  has  been  neatly  fitted  up  in  one 
corner,  at  the  end  of  which  stands  a  large  chest 
filled  with  carpenter's  tools.  On  the  bench  are 
several  half-finished  specimens  of  Frank's 
skill — a  jointed  fish-pole,  two  or  three  finely- 
shaped  hulls,  and  a  miniature  frigate,  which  he 
is  making  for  one  of  his  friends.  The  shop  and 
tools  are  kept  in  the  nicest  order,  and  Frank 
spends  every  rainy  day  at  his  bench. 

The  young  naturalist  is  also  a  good  sailor, 
and  has  the  reputation  of  understanding  the 
management  of  a  sail-boat  as  well  as  any  other 
boy  in  the  village.  He  has  two  boats,  which 
are  in  the  creek,  tied  to  the  wharf  in  front  of 
the  house.  One  of  them  is  a  light  skiff,  which 
he  frequently  uses  in  going  to  and  from  the 
village  and  on  his  fishing  excursions,  and  the 
other  is  a  scow,  about  twenty  fe«t  long  and 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        41 

six  feet  wide,  which  he  built  himself.  He  calls 
her  the  Speedwell.  He  has  no  sail-boat,  but 
he  has  passed  hour  after  hour  trying  to  conjure 
up  some  plan  by  which  he  might  be  enabled 
to  possess  himself  of  one.  Such  a  one  as  he 
wants,  and  as  most  of  the  village  have,  would 
cost  fifty  dollars.  Already  he  has  laid  by  half 
that  amount ;  but  how  is  he  to  get  the  rest?  He 
has  begun  to  grow  impatient.  The  yachting 
season  has  just  opened ;  every  day  the  river  is 
dotted  with  white  sails;  trials  of  speed  be- 
tween the  swiftest  sailers  come  off  almost 
every  hour,  and  he  is  obliged  to  stand  and  look 
on,  or  content  himself  with  rowing  around  in 
his  skiff.  It  is  true  he  has  many  friends  who 
are  always  willing  to  allow  him  a  seat  in  their 
boats,  but  that  does  not  satisfy  him.  He  has 
determined  to  have  a  yacht  of  his  own,  if  there 
is  any  honest  way  for  him  to  get  it.  For  al- 
most a  year  he  has  carefully  laid  aside  every 
penny,  and  but  half  the  necessary  sum  has 
been  saved.  How  to  get  the  remainder  is  the 
difficulty.  He  never  asks  his  mother  for 


42        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

money ;  he  is  too  independent  for  that ;  besides, 
he  has  always  been  taught  to  rely  on  his  own 
resources,  and  he  has  made  up  his  mind  that, 
if  he  cannot  earn  his  boat,  he  will  go  without 
it. 

Three  or  four  days  after  the  commencement  \ 
of  our  story,  Frank  might  have  been  seen, 
about  five  o'clock  one  pleasant  morning,  seated 
on  the  wharf  in  front  of  the  house,  with  Brave 
at  his  side.  The  question  how  he  should  get 
his  boat  had  been  weighing  heavily  upon  his 
mind,  and  he  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
something  must  be  done,  and  that  speedily. 

"  Well,"  he  soliloquized,  "  my  chance  of  get- 
ting a  sail-boat  this  season  is  rather  slim,  I'm 
afraid.  But  I've  made  up  my  mind  to  have 
one,  and  I  won't  give  it  up  now.  Let  me  see ! 
I  wonder  how  the  Sunbeam  [meaning  his 
skiff]  would  sail?  I  mean  to  try  her.  No," 
he  added,  on  second  thought,  "  she  couldn't 
carry  canvas  enough  to  sail  with  one  of  the 
village  yachts.  I  have  it ! "  he  exclaimed  at 
length,  springing  to  his  feet.  "  The  Speed- 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        43 

well!  I  wonder  if  I  couldn't  make  a  sloop  of 
her.  At  any  rate,  I  will  get  her  up  into  my 
shop  and  try  it." 

Frank,  while  he  was  paying  a  visit  to  his 
cousin  in  Portland,  had  witnessed  a  regatta, 
in  which  the  Peerless,  a  large,  schooner-rigged 
scow,  had  beaten  the  swiftest  yachts  of  which 
the  city  boasted ;  and  he  saw  no  reason  why  his 
scow  could  not  do  the  same.  The  idea  was  no 
sooner  conceived  than  he  proceeded  to  put  it 
into  execution.  He  sprang  up  the  bank,  with 
Brave  close  at  his  heels,  and  in  a  few  moments 
disappeared  in  the  wood-shed.  A  large  wheel- 
barrow stood  in  one  corner  of  the  shed,  and 
this  Frank  pulled  from  its  place,  and,  after 
taking  off  the  sides,  wheeled  it  down  to  the 
creek,  and  placed  it  on  the  beach,  a  little 
distance  below  the  wharf.  He  then  untied  the 
painter — a  long  rope  by  which  the  scow  was 
fastened  to  the  wharf — and  drew  the  scow 
down  to  the  place  where  he  had  left  the  wheel- 
barrow. He  stood  for  some  moments  holding 
the  end  of  the  painter  in  his  hand,  and  think- 


44        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

ing  how  he  should  go  to  work  to  get  the  scow, 
which  was  very  heavy  and  unwieldy,  upon 
the  wheelbarrow.  But  Frank  was  a  true  Yan- 
kee, and  fruitful  in  expedients,  and  he  soon  hit 
upon  a  plan,  which  he  was  about  putting  into 
execution,  when  a  strong,  cheery  voice  called 
out: 

"  Arrah,  me  boy !  What'll  yer  be  after  doing 
with  the  boat?" 

Frank  looked  up  and  saw  Uncle  Mike,  as  the 
boys  called  him — a  good-natured  Irishman, 
who  lived  in  a  small  rustic  cottage  not  far 
from  Mrs.  Nelson's — coming  down  the  bank. 

"  Good  morning,  Uncle  Mike,"  said  Frank, 
politely  accepting  the  Irishman's  proffered 
hand  and  shaking  it  cordially.  "  I  want  to 
get  this  scow  up  to  my  shop;  but  I'm  afraid 
it  is  a  little  too  heavy  for  me  to  manage." 

"  So  it  is,  intirely,"  said  Mike,  as  he  divested 
himself  of  his  coat,  and  commenced  rolling  up 
his  shirt-sleeves.  "  Allow  me  to  lend  yer  a 
helpin'  hand."  And,  taking  the  painter  from 
Frank's  hand,  he  drew  the  scow  out  of  the 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        45 

water,  high  upon  the  bank.  He  then  placed 
his  strong  arms  under  one  side  of  the  boat, 
and  Frank  took  hold  of  the  other,  and,  lifting 
together,  they  raised  it  from  the  ground,  and 
placed  it  upon  the  wheelbarrow.  "  Now,  Mas- 
ter Frank,"  said  Mike,  "  if  you  will  take  hold 
and  steady  her,  I'll  wheel  her  up  to  the  shop 
for  you." 

Frank  accordingly  placed  his  hands  upon  the 
boat  in  such  a  manner  that  he  could  keep  her 
steady  and  assist  Mike  at  the  same  time; 
and  the  latter,  taking  hold  of  the  "  handles," 
as  he  termed  them,  commenced  wheeling  her 
up  the  bank.  The  load  was  heavy,  but  Mike 
was  a  sturdy  fellow,  and  the  scow  was  soon 
at  the  door  of  the  shop.  Frank  then  placed 
several  sticks  of  round  wood,  which  he  had 
brought  out  of  the  wood-shed,  upon  the  ground, 
about  three  feet  apart,  to  serve  as  rollers,  and, 
by  their  united  efforts,  the  Speedwell  was 
placed  upon  her  side  on  these  rollers,  and  in 
a  few  moments  was  left  bottom  upward  on 
the  floor  of  the  shop. 


46        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

2L  RACE  ON  THE  WATER. 

A  WEEK  passed,  and  the  Speedwell  again 
rode  proudly  at  her  moorings,  in  front  of  the 
cottage;  but  her  appearance  was  greatly 
changed.  A  "  center-board "  and  several 
handy  lockers  had  been  neatly  fitted  up  in 
her,  and  her  long,  low  hull  painted  black  on 
the  outside  and  white  on  the  inside,  and  her 
tall,  raking  mast  and  faultless  rigging  gave 
her  quite  a  ship-like  appearance. 

Frank  had  just  been  putting  on  a  few  finish- 
ing touches,  and  now  stood  on  the  wharf  ad- 
miring her.  It  was  almost  night,  and  con- 
sequently he  could  not  try  her  sailing  qualities 
that  day ;  and  he  was  so  impatient  to  discover 
whether  or  not  he  had  made  a  failure,  that 
it  seemed  impossible  for  him  to  wait. 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        47 

While  he  was  thus  engaged,  lie  heard  the 
splashing  of  oars,  and,  looking  up,  discovered 
two  boys  rowing  toward  him  in  a  light  skiff. 
As  they  approached,  he  recognized  George  and 
Harry  Butler,  two  of  his  most  intimate  ac- 
quaintances. They  were  brothers,  and  lived 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  Mrs.  Nelson's, 
but  they  and  Frank  were  together  almost  all 
the  time.  Harry,  who  was  about  a  year  older 
than  Frank,  was  a  very  impulsive  fellow,  and 
in  a  moment  of  excitement  often  said  and  did 
things  for  which  he  felt  sorry  when  he  had 
time  to  think  the  matter  over;  but  he  was 
generous  and  good-hearted,  and  if  he  found 
that  he  had  wronged  anyone,  he  never  failed 
to  make  ample  reparation.  George,  who  was 
just  Frank's  age,  was  a  jolly,  good-natured 
boy,  and  would  suffer  almost  any  indignity 
rather  than  retaliate. 

"  Well,  Frank,"  said  Harry,  as  soon  as  they 
came  within  speaking  distance,  "  George  and 
I  wanted  a  little  exercise,  so  we  thought  we 
would  row  up  and  see  what  had  become  of  you. 


48        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

Why  do  n't  you  come  down  and  see  a  fellow? 
Hallo! "  he  exclaimed,  on  noticing  the  change 
in  the  Speedwell's  appearance,  "  what  have 
you  been  trying  to  do  with  your  old  scow?" 

"  Why,  do  n't  you  see?  "  said  Frank.  "  I've 
been  trying  to  make  a  yacht  out  of  her." 

"  How  does  she  sail?  "  inquired  George. 

"  I  don't  know.  I  have  just  finished  her, 
and  have  not  had  time  to  try  her  sailing 
qualities  yet." 

"  I  don't  believe  she  will  sail  worth  a  row 
of  pins,"  said  Harry,  confidently,  as  he  drew 
the  skiff  alongside  the  Speedwell,  and  climbed 
over  into  her.  "  But  I'll  tell  you  what  it  is," 
he  continued,  peeping  into  the  lockers  and  ex- 
amining the  rigging,  "you  must  have  had 
plenty  of  hard  work  to  do  in  fixing  her  over. 
You  have  really  made  a  nice  boat  out  of 
her." 

"  Yes,  I  call  it  a  first-rate  job,"  said  George. 
"Did  you  make  the  sails  yourself,  Frank?" 

"  Yes,"'  answered  Frank.  "  I  did  all  the 
work  on  her.  She  ought  to  be  a  good  sailer, 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        49 

after  all  the  trouble  I've  had.  How  would  you 
like  to  spend  an  hour  with  me  on  the  river  to- 
morrow? You  -will  then  have  an  opportunity 
to  judge  for  yourself." 

The  boys  readily  agreed  to  this  proposal, 
and,  after  a  few  moments'  more  conversation, 
they  got  into  their  skiff  and  pulled  down  the 
creek.  The  next  morning,  about  four  o'clock, 
Frank  awoke,  and  he  had  hardly  opened  his 
eyes  before  he  was  out  on  the  floor  and  dress- 
ing. He  always  rose  at  this  hour,  both  sum- 
mer and  winter;  and  he  had  been  so  long  in 
the  habit  of  it,  that  it  had  become  a  kind  of 
second  nature  with  him  .  Going  to  the  window, 
he  drew  aside  the  curtain  and  looked  out.  The 
Speedwell  rode  safely  at  the  wharf,  gallantly 
mounting  the  swells  which  were  raised  by 
quite  a  stiff  breeze  that  was  blowing  directly 
down  the  creek.  He  amused  himself  for  about 
two  hours  in  his  shop ;  and  after  he  had  eaten 
his  breakfast,  he  began  to  get  ready  to  start 
on  the  proposed  excursion.  A  large  basket, 
filled  with  refreshments,  was  carefully  stowed 


50        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

away  in  one  of  the  lockers  of  the  Speedwell, 
the  sails  were  hoisted,  the  painter  was  cast 
off,  and  Frank  took  his  seat  at  the  helm,  and 
the  boat  moved  from  the  shore  "  like  a  thing 
of  life."  The  creek  was  too  narrow  to  allow 
of  much  maneuvering,  and  Frank  was  obliged 
to  forbear  judging  of  her  sailing  qualities  until 
he  should  reach  the  river.  But,  to  his  delight, 
he  soon  discovered  one  thing,  and  that  was, 
that  before  the  wind  the  Speedwell  was  no 
mean  sailer.  A  fewT  moments'  run  brought 
him  to  Mr.  Butler's  wharf,  where  he  found 
George  and  Harry  waiting  for  him.  Frank 
brought  the  Speedwell  around  close  to  the 
place  where  they  were  standing  in  splendid 
style,  and  the  boys  could  not  refrain  from 
expressing  their  admiration  at  the  handsome 
manner  in  which  she  obeyed  her  helm.  They 
clambered  down  into  the  boat,  and  seated 
themselves  on  the  middle  thwarts,  where  they 
could  assist  Frank  i:i  managing  the  sails,  and 
in  a  few  moments  they  reached  the  river. 
"  There  comes  Bill  Johnson !  "  exclaimed 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        51 

George,    suddenly,    "  just    behind    the    Long 
Dock." 

The  boys  looked  in  the  direction  indicated, 
and  saw  the  top  of  the  masts  and  sails  of  a  boat 
which  was  moving  slowly  along  on  the  other 
side  of  the  dock. 

"  Now,  Frank,"  said  Harry,  "  turn  out  to- 
ward the  middle  of  the  river,  and  get  as  far 
ahead  of  him  as  yon  can,  and  see  if  we  can't 
reach  the  island  (meaning  Strawberry  Island) 
before  he  does." 

Frank  accordingly  turned  the  Speedwell's 
head  toward  the  island,  and  just  at  that  mo- 
ment the  sail-boat  came  in  sight.  The  Cham- 
pion— for  that  was  her  name — was  classed 
among  the  swiftest  sailers  about  Lawrence; 
in  fact,  there  was  no  sloop  that  could  beat  her 
She  was  a  clinker-built  boat,  about  seventeen 
feet  long,  and  her  breadth  of  beam — that  is, 
the  distance  across  her  from  one  side  to  the 
other — was  great  compared  with  her  length. 
She  was  rigged  like  Frank's  boat,  having  one 
mast  and  carrying  a  mainsail  and  jib;  but 


52        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

as  her  sails  were  considerably  larger  than 
those  of  the  Speedwell,  and  as  she  was  a  much 
lighter  boat,  the  boys  all  expected  that  she 
would  reach  the  island,  which  the  young  skip- 
pers always  regarded  as  "home'"  in  their 
races,  long  before  the  Speedwell.  The  Cham- 
pion was  sailed  by  two  boys.  William  John 
son,  her  owner,  sat  in  the  stern  steering,  and 
Ben  Lake,  a  quiet,  odd  sort  of  a  boy,  sat  on 
one  of  the  middle  thwarts  managing  the  sails. 
As  soon  as  she  rounded  the  dock,  Harry  Butler 
sprang  to  his  feet,  and,  seizing  a  small  coil 
of  rope  that  lay  in  the  boat,  called  out, 

"  Bill !  if  you  will  catch  this  line,  we'll  tow 
you." 

"  No,  I  thank  you,"  answered  William.  "  I 
think  we  can  get  along  very  well  without  any 
of  your  help." 

"  Yes,"  chimed  in  Ben  Lake,  "  and  we'll 
catch  you  before  you  are  half-way  to  the  is- 
land." 

"  We'll  see  about  that !  "  shouted  George,  in 
reply. 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        53 

By  this  time  the  Speedwell  was  fairly  before 
wind,  the  sails  were  hauled  taut,  the  boys 
seated  themselves  on  the  windward  gunwale, 
and  the  race  began  in  earnest.  But  they  soon 
found  that  it  would  be  much  longer  than  they 
had  imagined.  Instead  of  the  slow,  straining 
motion  which  they  had  expected,  the  Speed- 
well flew  through  the  water  like  a  duck,  mount- 
ing every  little  swell  in  fine  style,  and  rolling 
the  foam  back  from  her  bow  in  great  masses 
She  was,  beyond  a  doubt,  a  fast  sailer. 

George  and  Harry  shouted  and  hurrahed 
until  they  were  hoarse,  and  Frank  was  so 
overjoyed  that  he  could  scarcely  speak. 

"  How  she  sails !  "  exclaimed  Harry.  "  If 
the  Champion  beats  this,  she  will  have  to  go 
faster  than  she  does  now." 

Their  pursuers  were  evidently  much  sur- 
prised at  this  sudden  exhibition  of  the  Speed- 
well's "  sailing  qualities;  "  and  William  hauled 
more  to  the  wind  and  "  crowded  his  boat 
until  she  stood  almost  on  her  side,  and  the 
waves  frequently  washed  into  her. 


54        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

"  They  will  overtake  us,"  said  Frank,  at 
length ;  "  but  I  guess  we  can  keep  ahead  of 
them  until  we  cross  the  river." 

And  so  it  proved.  The  Champion  began  to 
gain — it  was  very  slowly,  but  still  she  did 
gain — and  when  the  Speedwell  had  accom- 
plished half  the  distance  across  the  river,  their 
pursuers  were  not  more  than  three  or  four 
rods  behind. 

At  length  they  reached  the  island,  and,  as 
they  rounded  the  point,  they  came  to  a  spot 
where  the  wind  was  broken  by  the  trees.  The 
Speedwell  gradually  slackened  her  headway, 
and  the  Champion,  which  could  sail  much 
faster  than  she  before  a  light  breeze,  gained 
rapidly,  and  soon  came  alongside. 

"  There  is  only  one  fault  with  your  boat, 
Frank,"  said  William ;  "  her  sails  are  too 
small.  She  can  carry  twice  as  much  canvas 
as  you  have  got  on  her  now." 

"  Yes,"  answered  Frank,  "  I  find  that  I  have 
made  a  mistake;  but  the  fact  is,  I  did  not 
know  how  she  would  behave,  and  was  afraid 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        55 

she  would  capsize.  My  first  hard  work  shall  be 
to  make  some  new  sails." 

"  You  showed  us  a  clean  pair  of  heels,  any 
way,"  said  Ben  Lake,  clambering  over  into 
the  Speedwell.  "  Why,  how  nice  and  handy 
everything  is!  Every  rope  is  just  where  you 
can  lay  your  hand  on  it." 

"  Let's  go  ashore  and  see  how  we  are  off 
for  a  crop  of  strawberries,"  said  Harry. 

William  had  pulled  down  his  sails  when  he 
came  alongside,  and  while  the  .conversation 
was  going  on  the  Speedwell  had  been  towing 
the  Champion  toward  the  island,  and,  just  as 
Harry  spoke,  their  bows  ran  high  upon  the 
sand.  The  boys  sprang  out,  and  spent  two 
hours  in  roaming  over  the  island  in  search 
of  strawberries;  but  it  was  a  little  too  early 
in  the  season  for  them,  and,  although  there 
were  "  oceans  "  of  green  ones,  they  gathered 
hardly  a  pint  of  ripe  ones. 

After  they  had  eaten  the  refreshments  which 
Frank  had  brought  with  him,  they  started  for 
home.  As  the  wind  blew  from  the  main  shore, 


56        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

they  were  obliged  to  "  tack,"  and  the  Speed- 
well again  showed  some  fine  sailing,  and  when 
the  Champion  entered  the  creek,  she  was  not 
a  stone's  throw  behind. 

Frank  reached  home  that  night  a  good  deal 
elated  at  his  success.  After  tying  the  Speed 
well  to  the  wharf,  he  pulled  down  the  sails 
and  carried  them  into  his  shop.  He  had  prom- 
ised, before  leaving  George  and  Harry,  to 
meet  them  at  five  o'clock  the  next  morning  to 
start  on  a  fishing  excursion,  and,  consequently, 
could  do  nothing  toward  the  new  sails  for  his 
boat  for  two  days. 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        57 


CHAPTER  V. 

A  FISHING  EXCURSION. 

PRECISELY  at  the  time  agreed  upon,  Frank 
might  have  been  seen  sitting  on  the  wharf  ir 
front  of  Mr.  Butler's  house.  In  his  hand  he 
carried  a  stout,  jointed  fish-pole,  neatly  stowed 
away  in  a  strong  bag  of  drilling,  and  under, 
his  left  arm  hung  his  fish-basket,  suspended 
by  a  broad  belt,  which  crossed  his  breast.  In 
this  he  carried  his  hooks,  reels,  trolling-lines, 
dinner,  and  other  things  necessary  for  the  trip. 
Brave  stood  quietly  by  his  side,  patiently  wait- 
ing for  the  word  to  start.  They  were  not 
obliged  to  wait  long,  for  hasty  steps  sounded 
on  the  gravel  walk  that  led  up  to  the  house, 
the  gate  swung  open,  and  George  and  Harry 
appeared,  their  arms  filled  with  their  fishing- 
tackle. 


58        Frank,  The  Young  Natiuaiist. 

"  You're  on  time,  I  see,"  said  Harry,  as  he 
climbed  down  into  a  large  skiff  that  was  tied 
to  the  wharf.  "  Give  us  your  fish-pole." 

Frank  accordingly  handed  his  pole  and  bas- 
ket down  to  Harry,  who  stowed  them  away  in 
the  boat.  He  and  George  then  went  into  the 
boat-house,  and  one  brought  out  a  pair  of  oars 
and  a  sail,  which  they  intended  to  use  if  the 
wind  should  be  fair,  and  the  other  carried  two 
pails  of  minnows,  which  had  been  caught  the 
night  before,  to  serve  as  bait. 

They  then  got  into  the  boat,  and  Frank  took 
one  oar  and  Harry  the  other,  and  Brave  sta- 
tioned himself  at  his  usual  place  in  the  bow. 
George  took  the  helm,  and  they  began  to  move 
swiftly  down  the  creek  toward  the  river. 
About  a  quarter  of  a  mile  below  the  mouth  of 
the  creek  was  a  place,  covering  half  an  acre, 
where  the  water  was  about  four  feet  deep,  and 
the  bottom  was  covered  with  smooth,  flat  stones. 
This  was  known  as  the  "  black-bass  ground," 
and  large  numbers  of  these  fish  were  caught 
there  every  season.  George  turned  the  boat's 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        59 

head  toward  this  place,  and,  thrusting  his 
hand  into  his  pocket,  drew  out  a  "  trolling- 
line,"  and,  dropping  the  hook  into  the  water 
behind  the  boat,  began  to  unwind  the  line. 
The  trolling-hook  (such  as  is  generally  used  in 
fishing  for  black  bass)  can  be  used  only  in  a 
strong  current),  or  when  the  boat  is  in  rapid 
motion  through  the  water.  The  hook  is  con- 
cealed by  feathers  or  a  strip  of  red  flannel,  and 
a  piece  of  shining  metal  in  the  shape  of  a 
spoon-bowl  is  fastened  to  it  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  revolve  around  it  when  the  hook  is  drawn 
rapidly  through  the  water.  This  is  fastened 
to  the  end  of  a  long,  stout  line,  and  trailed  over 
the  stern  of  the  boat,  wlsose  motion  keeps  it 
near  the  surface.  IP*can  be  seen  .for  a  great 
distance  in  the  water,  and  the  fish,  mis- 
taking it  for  their  prey,  dart  forward  and 
seize  it. 

A  few  moments'  pulling  brought  them  to  the 
bass  ground,  and  George,  holding  the  stick  on 
f  hi  eh  the  line  had  been  wound  in  his  hand, 
waited  impatiently  for  a  "  bite."  They  had 


60        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

hardly  entered  the  ground  when  several  heav\ 
pulls  at  the  line  announced  that  the  bait  had 
been  taken.  George  jerked  in  return,  and 
springing  to  his  feet,  commenced  hauling  in 
the  line  hand  over  hand,  while  whatever  was  at 
the  other  end  jerked  and  pulled  in  a  way 
that  showed  that  he  was  unwilling  to  approach 
the  surface.  The  boys  ceased  rowing,  and 
Frank  exclaimed, 

"  You've  got  a  big  one  there,  George.  Don't 
give  him  any  slack,  or  you'll  lose  him." 

"  Haul  in  lively,"  chimed  in  Harry.  "  There 
he  breaches !  "  he  continued,  as  the  fish — a  fine 
bass,  weighing,  as  near  as  they  could  guess, 
six  pounds — leaped  entirely  out  of  the  water 
in  his  mad  efforts  to  escape.  "  I  tell  you  he's 
a  beauty." 

Frank  took  up  the  "  dip-net,"  which  the  boys 
had  used  in  catching  the  minnows,  and,  stand- 
ing by  George's  side,  waited  for  him  to  bring 
the  fish  within  reach,  so  that  he  might  assist 
in  "  landing  "  him.  The  struggle  was  exciting, 
but  short.  The  bass  was  very  soon  exhausted, 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        61 

and  George  drew  him  alongside  the  boat,  in 
which  he  was  soon  safely  deposited  under  one 
of  the  seats. 

They  rowed  around  the  ground  for  half  an 
hour,  each  taking  his  turn  at  the  line,  and  dur- 
ing that  time  they  captured  a  dozen  fish.  The 
bass  then  began  to  stop  biting;  and  Frank, 
who  was  at  the  helm,  turned  the  boat  toward 
the  "  perch-bed,"  which  was  some  distance 
further  down  the  river.  It  was  situated  at  the 
outer  edge  of  a  bank  of  weeds,  which  lined  the , 
river  on  both  sides.  The  weeds  sprouted  from 
the  bottom  in  the  spring,  and  by  fall  they 
reached  the  height  of  four  or  five  feet  above 
the  surface  of  the  water.  They  were  then  liter- 
ally swarming  with  wild  ducks;  but  at  the 
time  of  which  we  write,  as  it  was  only  the 
latter  part  of  June,  they  had  not  yet  appeared 
above  the  water.  The  perch-bed  was  soon 
reached,  and  Harry,  who  was  pulling  the  bow- 
oar,  rose  to  his  feet,  and  raising  the  anchor, 
which  was  a  large  stone  fastened  to  the  boat 
by  a  long,  itout  rope,  lifted  it  over  the  side, 


62        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

and  let  it  down  carefully  into  the  water.  The 
boat  swung  around  until  her  bow  pointed  up 
stream,  and  the  boys  found  themselves  ia  the 
right  spot  to  enjoy  a  good  day's  sport. 

Frank,  who  was  always  foremost  in  such 
matters,  had  his  pole  rigged  in  a  trice,  and, 
baiting  his  hook  with  one  of  the  minnows, 
dropped  it  into  the  water  just  outside  of  the 
weeds.  Half  a  dozen  hungry  perch  instantly 
rose  to  the  surface,  and  one  of  them,  weighing 
nearly  a  pound,  seized  the  bait  and  darted  off 
with  it,  and  the  next  moment  was  dangling 
through  the  air  toward  the  boat. 

"  That's  a  good-sized  fish,"  said  Harry,  as 
he  fastened  his  reel  on  his  polo. 

"  Yes,"  answered  Frank,  taking  his  prize  off 
the  hook  and  throwing  it  into  the  boat ; 
"  and  we  shall  have  fine  sport  for  a  little 
while." 

"  But  they  will  stop  biting  when  the  son 
gets  a  little  warmer;  so  we  had  better  make 
the  most  of  our  time,"  observed  George. 

By  this  time  the  other  boys  had  rigged  their 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        63 

poles,  and  soon  two  more  large  perch  lay 
floundering  in  the  boat.  For  almost  two 
hours  they  enjoyed  fine  sport,  as  Frank  had 
said  they  would,  and  they  were  too  much  en- 
gaged to  think  of  being  hungry.  But  soon  the 
fish  began  to  stop  biting,  and  Harry,  who  had 
waited  impatiently  for  almost  five  minutes  for 
a  "  nibble,"  drew  up  his  line  and  opened  a 
locker  in  the  stern  of  the  boat,  and,  taking 
out  a  basket  containing  their  dinner,  was  about 
to  make  an  inroad  on  its  contents,  when  he 
discovered  a  boat,  rowed  by  a  boy  about  his 
own  age,  shoot  rapidly  around  a  point  that  ex- 
tended for  a  considerable  distance  out  into 
the  river,  and  turn  toward.the  spot  where  they 
were  anchored. 

"  Boys,"  he  exclaimed,  "  here  comes  Charley 
Morgan !  " 

"  Charley  Morgan,"  repeated  Frank.  "  Who 
is  he?  " 

"  Why,  he  is  the  new-comer,"  answered 
George.  "  He  lives  in  the  large  brick  house 
on  the  hill." 


64        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

Charley  Morgan  had  formerly  lived  in  Nev. 
York.  His  father  was  a  speculator,  and  wa- 
looked  upon  by  some  as  a  wealthy  man ;  but  it 
was  hinted  by  those  who  knew  him  best  that 
if  his  debts  were  all  paid  he  would  have  but 
little  ready  money  left.  Be  that  as  it  may, 
Mr.  Morgan  and  his  family,  at  any  rate,  lived 
in  style,  and  seemed  desirous  of  outshining 
all  their  neighbors  and  acquaintances.  Be- 
coming weary  of  city  life,  they  had  decided  to 
move  into  the  country,  and,  purchasing  a  fine 
village  lot  in  Lawrence,  commenced  building 
a  house  upon  it.  Although  the  village  could 
boast  of  many  fine  dwellings,  the  one  on  Tower 
Hill,  owned  by  Mr.  Morgan,  surpassed  them 
all,  and,  as  is  always  the  case  in  such  places, 
every  one  was  eager  to  discover  who  was  to  oc- 
cupy the  elegant  mansion.  When  the  house 
was  completed,  Mr.  Morgan  returned  to  New 
York  to  bring  on  his  family,  leaving  three  or 
four  "  servants,''  as  he  calle  1  them,  to  look 
after  his  affairs;  and  the  Julia  Burton  landed 
at  the  wharf,  one  pleasant  morning,  a  splendid 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        65 

open  carriage,  drawn  by  a  span  of  jet-black 
horses.  The  carriage  contained  Mr.  Morgan 
and  his  family,  consisting  of  his  wife  and  one 
son — the  latter  about  seventeen  years  old. 
At  the  time  of  his  introduction  to  the  reader 
they  had  been  in  the  village  about  a  week. 
Charles,  by  his  haughty,  overbearing  manner, 
had  already  driven  away  from  him  the  most 
sensible  of  the  village  boys  who  had  become 
acquainted  with  him;  but  there  are  those 
everywhere  who  seem,  by  some  strange  fatal- 
ity, to  choose  the  most  unworthy  of  their  ac- 
quaintances for  their  associates;  and  there 
were  several  boys  in  Lawrence  who  looked 
upon  Charles  as  a  first-rate  fellow  and  a  very 
desirable  companion. 

George  and  Harry,  although  they  had  fre- 
quently seen  the  "new-comer,"  had  not  had  an 
opportunity  to  get  acquainted  with  him;  and 
Frank,  who,  as  we  have  said,  lived  in  the  out- 
skirts of  the  village,  and  who  had  been  very 
busy  at  work  for  the  last  week  on  his  boat,  had 
not  seen  him  at  all. 


66        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

"  What  sort  of  a  boy  is  he?  "  inquired  the 
latter,  continuing  the  conversation  which  we 
have  so  unceremoniously  broken  off. 

"  I  do  n't  know,"  replied  Harry.  "  Some  of 
the  ooys  like  him,  but  Ben  Lake  says  he's  the 
biggest  rascal  in  the  village.  He's  got  two  or 
three  guns,  half  a  dozen  fish-poles,  and,  by 
what  I  hear  the  boys  say,  he  must  be  a  capital 
sportsman.  But  he  tells  the  most  ridiculous 

stories  about  what  he  has  done." 

• 

By  this  time  Charles  had  almost  reached 
them,  and,  when  he  came  alongside,  he  rested 
on  his  oars  and  called  out, 

"  Well,  boys,  how  many  fish  have  you 
caught? " 

"  So  many,"  answered  George,  holding  up 
the  string,  which  contained  over  a  hundred 
perch  and  black  bass.  "  Have  you  caught  any 
thing?  " 

"  Not  much  to  brag  of,"  answered  Charles ; 
"  I  hooked  up  a  few  little  perch  just  behind 
the  point.  But  that's  a  tip-top  string  of 
yours." 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        67 

"  Yes,  pretty  fair,"  answered  Harry.  "  You 
see  we  know  where  to  go." 

"  That  does  make  some  difference,"  said 
Charles.  "  But  as  soon  as  I  know  the  good 
places,  I'll  show  you  how  to  catch  fish." 

"  We  will  show  you  the  good  fishing-grounds 
any  time,"  said  George. 

"  Oh,  I  do  n't  want  any  of  your  help.  I  can 
tell  by  the  looks  of  a  place  whether  there  are 
any  fish  to  be  caught  or  not.  But  you  ought 
to  see  the  fishing-grounds  we  have  in  New 
York,"  he  continued.  "  Why,  many  a  time 
I've  caught  three  hundred  in  less  than  half  an 
hour,  and  some  of  them  would  w^eigh  ten 
pounds." 

"  Did  you  catch  them  with  a  hook  and  line?" 
inquired  George. 

"  Of  course  I  did !  What  else  should  I  catch 
them  with?  I  should  like  to  see  one  of  you 
trying  to  handle  a  ten  or  fifteen-pound  fish 
with  nothing  but  a  trout-pole." 

"  Could  yon  do  it?  "  inquired  Harry,  strug- 
gling hard  to  suppress  a  laugh. 


68        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

"  Do  it?  I  have  done  it  many  a  time.  But 
is  there  any  hunting  around  here?  " 

"  Plenty  of  it." 

."Well,"  continued  Charles,  "I  walked  all 
over  the  woods  this  morning,  and  could  n't 
find  anything." 

"  It  is  not  the  season  for  hunting  now," 
said  George ;  "  but  in  the  fall  there  are  lots 
of  ducks,  pigeons,  squirrels,  and  turkeys,  and 
in  the  winter  the  woods  are  full  of  minks,  and 
now  and  then  a  bear  or  deer!  and  the  swamps 
are  just  the  places  to  kill  muskrats." 

"  I'd  just  like  to  go  hunting  with  some  of 
you.  I'll  bet  I  can  kill  more  game  in  a  day 
than  any  one  in  the  village." 

The  boys  made  no  reply  to  this  confident 
assertion,  for  the  fact  was  that  they  were 
too  full  of  laughter  to  trust  themselves  to 
speak. 

"  I'll  bet  you  have  n't  got  any  thing  in  the 
village  that  can  come  up  to  this,"  continued 
Charles;  and  as  he  spoke  he  raised  a  light, 
beautifully-finished  riflt  from  the  bottom  of 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        69 

the  boat,  and  held  it  up  to  the  admiring  gaze 
of  the  boys. 

"  That  is  a  beauty,"  said  Harry,  who  wished 
to  continue  the  conversation  as  long  as  pos- 
sible, in  order  to  hear  some  more  of  Charles's 
"  large  stories."  "  How  far  will  it  shoot?  " 

"  It  cost  me  a  hundred  dollars,"  answered 
Charles,  "  and  I've  killed  bears  and  deer  with 
it,  many  a  time,  as  far  as  across  this  river 
here." 

Charles  did  not  hesitate  to  say  this,  for  he 
was  talking  only  to  "  simple-minded  country 
boys,"  as  he  called  them,  and  he  supposed  he 
could  say  what  he  pleased  and  they  would  be- 
lieve it.  His  auditors,  who  before  had  been 
hardly  able  to  contain  themselves,  were  now 
almost  bursting  with  laughter.  Frank  and 
George,  however,  managed  to  draw  on  a  sober 
face,  while  Harry  turned  away  his  head  and 
stuffed  his  handkerchief  into  his  mouth.  - 

"  I  tell  you,"  continued  Charles,  not  notic- 
ing the  condition  his  hearers  were  in,  "  I've 
seen  some  pretty  tough  times  in  my  life.  Once, 


70        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

when  I  was  hunting  in  the  Adirondack  Moun- 
tains, in  the  northern  part  of  Michigan,  I  was 
attacked  by  Indians,  and  came  very  near  being 
captured,  and  the  way  I  fought  was  a  cau- 
tion to  white  folks.  This  little  rifle  came 
handy  then,  I  tell  you.  But  I  must  hurry 
along  now;  I  promised  to  go  riding  with  the 
old  man  this  afternoon." 

And  he  dipped  the  oars  into  the  water,  and 
the  little  boat  shot  rapidly  up  the  river.  It 
was  well  that  he  took  his  departure  just  as  he 
did,  for  our  three  boys  could  not  possibly  have 
contained  themselves  a  moment  longer.  They 
could  not  wait  for  him  to  get  out  of  sight, 
but,  lying  back  in  the  boat,  they  laughed  until 
the  tears  rolled  down  their  cheeks. 

"  Well,  Frank,  what  do  you  thing  of  him?  " 
inquired  Harry,  as  soon  as  he  could  speak. 

"  I  think  the  less  we  have  to  do  with  him 
the  better,"  answered  Frank. 

"•  I  did  think,"  said  Harry,  stopping  now 
and  then  to  indulge  in  a  hearty  fit  of  laughter, 
"  that  there  might  be  some  good  things  about 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        71 

him;  but  a  boy  that  can  tell  such  whopping 
big  lies  as  he  told  must  be  very  small  potatoes. 
Only  think  of  catching  three  hundred  fish  in 
less  than  half  an  hour,  and  with  only  one  hook 
and  line!  Why,  that  would  be  ten  every  min- 
ute, and  that  is  as  many  as  two  men  could 
manage.  And  then  for  him  to  talk  about  that 
pop-gun  of  his  shooting  as  far  as  across  this 
river! — why,  it's  a  mile  and  a  half — and  I 
know  it  would  n't  shoot  forty  rods,  and  kill. 
But  the  best  of  all  was  his  hunting  among  the 
Adirondack  Mountains,  in  Michigan,  and  hav- 
ing to  defend  himself  against  the  Indians; 
that's  a  good  joke." 

And  Harry  laid  back  in  the  boat  again,  and 
laughed  and  shouted  until  his  side  ached. 

"  He  must  be  a  very  ungrateful  fellow,"  said 
Frank,  at  length.  "  Did  n't  you  notice  how 
disrespectfully  he  spoke  of  his  father?  He 
called  him  his  '  old  man.'  If  I  had  a  father, 
I'd  never  speak  so  lightly  of  him." 

"  Yes,  I  noticed  that,"  said  George.  "  But," 
he  continued,  reaching  for  the  basket  which 


72        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

Harry,  after  helping  himself  most  bountifully, 
had  placed  on  the  middle  seat,  "  I'm  hungry 
as  blazes,  and  think  I  can  do  justice  to  the 
good  things  mother  has  put  up  for  us." 

After  eating  their  dinner  they  got  out  their 
fishing-tackle  again ;  but  the  perch  had  stopped 
biting,  and,  after  waiting  patiently  for  half  an 
hour  without  feeling  a  nibble,  they  unjointc<l 
their  poles,  drew  up  the  anchor,  and  Frank 
seated  himself  at  the  helm,  while  George  aiM 
Harry  took  the  oars  and  pulled  toward  home. 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        73 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE   REGULATORS. 

ONE  of  the  range  of  hills  which  extended 
around  the  western  side  of  the  village  was  oc- 
cupied by  several  families,  known  as  the  "  Hill- 
ers."  They  were  ignorant,  degraded  people, 
living  in  miserable  hovels,  and  obtaining  a 
precarious  subsistence  by  hunting,  fishing,  and 
stealing.  With  them  the  villagers  rarely,  if 
ever,  had  intercourse,  and  respectable  persons 
seldom  crossed  their  thresholds.  The  princi- 
pal man  ^mong  the  Hillers  was  known  as  Bill 
Powell.  He  was  a  giant  in  strength  and  stat- 
ure, and  used  to  boast  that  he  could  visit  "  any 
hen-roost  in  the  village  every  night  in  the 
week,  and  carry  off  a  dozen  chickens  each  time, 
without  being  nabbed."  He  was  very  fond  of 
liquor,  too  indolent  to  work,  and  spent  most 


74        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

of  his  time,  when  out  of  jail,  on  the  river,  fish- 
ing, or  roaming  through  the  woods  with  his 
gim.  He  had  one  son,  whose  name  was  Lee, 
aud  a  smarter  boy  it  was  hard  to  find.  He 
possessed  many  good  traits  of  character,  but, 
'  s  they  had  never  been  developed,  it  was  diffi- 
ult  to  discover  them.  He  had  always  lived 
n  the  midst  of  evil  influences,  led  by  the  ex- 
imple  of  a  drunken,  brutal  father,  and  sur- 
rounded by  wicked  companions,  and  it  is  no 
wonder  that  his  youthful  aspirations  were  in 
the  wrong  direction. 

Lee  and  his  associates,  as  they  were  not 
obliged  to  attend  school,  and  were  under  no 
parental  control,  always  amused  themselves  as 
they  saw  fit.  Most  of  their  time  was  spent  on 
the  river  or  in  the  woods,  and,  when  weary  of 
this  sport,  the  orchards  and  melon-patches 
around  the  village,  although  closely  guarded, 
were  sure  to  suffer  at  their  hands;  and  they 
planned  and  executed  their  plundering  expedi- 
tions with  so  much  skill  and  cunning,  that  thev 
were  rarely  detected. 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        75 

A  day  or  two  after  the  events  related  in  the 
preceding  chapter  transpired,  Charles  Mor- 
gan, in  company  with  two  or  three  of  his 
chosen  companions,  was  enjoying  a  sail  on  the 
river.  During  their  conversation,  one  of  the 
boys  chanced  to  say  something  about  the  Hill- 
ers,  and  Charles  inquired  who  they  were.  His 
companions  gave  him  the  desired  information, 
and  ended  by  denouncing  them  in  the  strongest 
terms. 

Charles,  after  hearing  them  through,  ex- 
claimed, 

"  I'd  just  like  to  catch  one  of  those  boys 
robbing  our  orchard  or  hen-roost.  One  or  the 
other  of  us  would  get  a  pummeling,  sure  as 
shooting." 

"  Yes,"  said  one  of  the  boys,  "  but,  you  see, 
they  do  not  go  alone.  If  they  did,  it  would  be 
an  easy  matter  to  catch  them.  But  they  all  go 
together,  and  half  of  them  keep  watch,  and  the 
rest  bag  the  plunder ;  and  they  move  around  so 
still  that  even  the  dogs  don't  hear  them." 

"  I  should  think  you  fellows  here  in  the  vil- 


76        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

lage  would  take  the  matter  into  your  own 
hands,"  said  Charles. 

"What  do  you  mean?"  inquired  his  com- 
panions. 

"  Why  don't  you  club  together,  and  every 
time  you  see  one  of  the  Hillers,  go  to  work  and 
thrash  him  like  blazes?  I  guess,  after  you  had 
half-killed  two  or  three  of  them,  they  would 
learn  to  let  things  alone." 

"  I  guess  they  would,  too,"  said  one  of  the 
boys. 

"  Suppose  we  get  up  a  company  of  fifteen  or 
twenty  fellows,"  resumed  Charles,  "  and  see 
how  it  works.  I'll  bet  my  eyes  that,  after  we've 
whipped  half  a  dozen  of  them,  they  won't  dare 
to  show  their  faces  in  the  village  again." 

"  That's  the  way  to  do  it,"  said  one  of  the 
boys.  "  I'll  join  the  company,  for  one." 

The  others  readily  fell  in  with  Charles's  pro- 
posal, and  they  spent  some  time  talking  it  over 
and  telling  what  they  intended  to  do  when  they 
'could  catch  the  Hillers,  when  one  of  the  boys 
suddenly  exclaimed, 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        77 

"  I  think,  after  all,  that  we  shall  have  some 
trouble  in  carrying  out  our  plans.  Although 
there  are  plenty  of  fellows  in  the  village,  who 
would  be  glad  to  join  the  company,  there  are 
some  who  must  not  know  any  thing  about  it, 
or  the  fat  will  all  be  in  the  fire." 

"  Who  are  they?  "  demanded  Charles. 

"  Why,  there  are  Frank  Nelson,  and  George 
and  Harry  Butler,  and  Bill  Johnson,  and  a 
dozen  others,  who  could  knock  the  whole  thing 
into  a  cocked  hat,  in  less  than  no  time." 

"  Could  they?  I'd  just  like  to  see  them  try 
it  on,"  said  Charles,  with  a  confident  air. 
"  They  would  have  a  nice  time  of  it.  How 
would  they  go  to  work?  " 

"  I  am  afraid  that,  if  they  saw  us  going  to 
whip  the  Hillers,  they  would  interfere." 

"  They  would,  eh?  I'd  like  to  see  them  un- 
dertake to  hinder  us.  Can't  twenty  fellows 
whip  a  dozen  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know.  Every  one  calls  Frank  Nel- 
son and  his  set  the  best  boys  in  the  village. 
They  never  fight  if  they  can  help  it;  but  they 


78        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

are  plaguy  smart  fellows,  I  tell  you;  and,  if 
we  once  get  them  aroused,  we  shall  have  a 
warm  time  of  it.  I  remember  a  little  circum- 
stance that  happened  last  winter.  We  had  a 
fort  in  the  field  behind  the  school-house,  and 
one  night  we  were  out  there,  snowballing,  and 
I  saw  Frank  Nelson  handle  two  of  the  largest 
boys  in  his  class.  There  were  about  a  dozen 
boys  in  the  fort — and  they  were  the  ones  that 
always  go  with  Frank — and  all  the  rest  of  the 
school  were  against  them.  The  fort  stood  on 
a  little  hill,  and  we  were  almost  half  an  hour 
capturing  it,  and  we  wouldn't  ever  have  taken 
it  if  the  wall  hadn't  been  broken  down.  We 
would  get  almost  up  to  the  fort,  and  they 
would  rush  out  and  drive  us  down  again.  At 
last  we  succeeded  in  getting  to  the  top  of  the 
hill,  and  our  boys  began  to  tumble  over  the 
walls,  and  I  hope  I  may  be  shot  if  they  didn't 
throw  us  out  as  fast  as  we  could  get  in,  and — " 
"  Oh,  I  don't  care  any  thing  about  that,"  in- 
terrupted Charles,  who  could  not  bear  to  hear 
any  one  but  himself  praised.  "  If  I  had  been 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        79 

tht're,  I  would  have  run  up  and  thrown  them 
out." 

"  And  you  could  have  done  it  easy  enough," 
said  one  of  the  boys,  who  had  for  some  time 
remained  silent. 

"  Frank  Nelson  and  his  set  are  not  such 
great  fellows,  after  all." 

"  Of  course  they  ain't,"  said  the  other. 
"  They  feel  big  enough ;  but  I  guess,  if  we  get 
this  company  we  have  spoken  of  started,  and 
they  undertake  to  interfere  with  us,  we  will 
take  them  down  a  peg  or  two." 

"  That's  the  talk !  "  said  Charles.  "  I  never 
let  any  one  stop  me  when  I  have  once  made  up 
my  mind  to  do  a  thing.  I  would  as  soon  knock 
Frank  Nelson  down  as  any  body  else." 

By  this  time  the  boat,  which  had  been  headed 
toward  the  shore,  entered  the  creek,  and 
Charles  drew  up  to  the  wharf,  and,  after  set- 
ting his  companions  ashore,  and  directing  thorn 
to  speak  to  every  one  whom  they  thought 
would  be  willing  to  join  the  company,  and  to 
no  one  else,  he  drew  down  the  sails,  and  pulled 


4o        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

up  the  creek  toward  the  place  where  he  kept 
his  boat. 

A  week  passed,  and  things  went  on  swim- 
mingly. Thirty  boys  had  enrolled  themselves 
as  members  of  the  Regulators,  as  the  company 
was  called,  and  Charles,  who  had  been  chosen 
captain,  had  carried  out  his  plans  so  quietly, 
that  he  was  confident  that  no  one  outside  of 
the  company  knew  of  its  existence.  Their  ar- 
rangements had  all  been  completed,  and  the 
Regulators  waited  only  for  a  favorable  op- 
portunity to  carry  their  plans  into  execu- 
tion. 

Frank,  during  this  time,  had  remained  at 
home,  working  in  his  garden  or  shop,  and  knew 
nothing  of  what  was  going  on. 

One  afternoon  he  wrote  a  letter  to  his  cousin 
Archie,  and,  after  supper,  set  out,  with  Brave 
at  his  heels,  to  carry  it  to  the  post-office.  He 
stopped  on  the  way  for  George  and  Harry 
Butler,  who  were  always  ready  to  accompany 
him.  On  the  steps  of  the  post-office  they  met 
three  or  four  of  their  companions,  and,  after 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        81 

«t  few  moments'  conversation,  William  Johnson 
suddenly  inquired, 

"  Have  you  joined  the  new  society,  Frank?  " 

"What  society?" 

"  Why,  the  Regulators." 

"  I  don't  know  what  you  mean,"  said  Frank. 

"  Yes,  I  guess  they  have  managed  to  keep 
it  pretty  quiet,"  said  WMlliam.  "  They  don't 
want  any  outsiders  to  know  any  thing  about 
it.  They  asked  me  to  join  in  with  them,  but 
I  told  them  that  they  ought  to  know  better 
than  to  propose  such  a  thing  to  me.  Then  they 
tried  to  make  me  promise  that  I  would  n't  say 
any  thing  about  it,  but  I  would  make  no  such 
promise,  for— 

"Why,  Bill,  what  are  you  talking  about?" 
inquired  Harry.  "  You  rattle  it  off  as  if  we 
knew  all  about  it." 

"  Have  n't  you  heard  any  thing  about  it, 
either?'"  inquired  William,  in  surprise.  "I 
was  certain  that  they  would  ask  yon  to  join. 
Well,  the  amount  of  it  is  that  Charley  Morgan 
and  a  lot  of  his  particular  friends  have  been 


82        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

organizing  a  company  for  the  purpose  of 
thrashing  the  Hillers,  and  making  them  stop 
robbing  hen-roosts  and  orchards  and  cutting 
up  such  shines." 

"  Yes,"  chimed  in  James  Porter,  "  there  are 
about  thirty  of  them,  and  they  say  that  they 
are  going  to  whip  the  Hillers  out  of  the  vil- 
lage." 

"  Well,  that's  news  to  me,"  said  Frank. 

"  For  my  part,"  said  Thomas  Benton,  "  I, 
of  course,  know  that  the  Hillers  ought  to  be 
punished;  but  I  do  not  think  it  is  the  duty  of 
us  boys  to  take  the  law  into  our  own  hands." 

"  Nor  I,"  said  James  Porter. 

"  Well,  7  do,"  said  Harry,  who,  as  we  have 
said,  was  an  impetuous,  fiery  fellow,  "  and  I 
believe  I  will  join  the  Regulators,  and  help 
whip  the  rascals  out  of  the  country.  They 
ought,  every  one  of  them,  to  be  thrashed  for 
stealing  and — " 

"  Now,  see  here,  Harry,"  interrupted  George. 
"  You  know  very  well  that  such  a  plan  will 
never  succeed,  and  it  ought  not  to.  You  have 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        83 

been  taught  that  it  is  wrong  to  take  things 
that  do  not  belong  to  you,  but  with  the  Hillers 
the  case  is  different;  their  parents  teach  them 
to  steal,  and  they  are  obliged  to  do  it/' 

"  Besides,"  said  Frank,  "  this  summary 
method  of  correcting  them  will  not  break  up 
their  bad  habits;  kindness  will  accomplish 
much  more  than  force." 

"Kindness!"  repeated  Harry,  sneeringly; 
"as  if  kindness  could  have  any  effect  on  a 
Hiller!" 

"  They  can  tell  when  they  are  kindly  treated 
as  well  as  any  one  else,"  said  George. 

"  And  another  thing,"  said  Ben  Lake ; 
"  these  Regulators  must  be  a  foolish  set  of  fel- 
lows to  suppose  that  the  Hillers  are  going  to 
stand  still  and  be  whipped.  I  say,  as  an  old 
sea-captain  once  said,  when  it  was  proposed 
to  take  a  man-o'-war  with  a  whale-boat,  '  I 
guess  it  will  be  a  puttering  job.' ' 

"  Well,"  said  James,  "  I  shall  do  all  I  can 
to  prevent  a  fight." 

"So  will  I,''  said  Frank. 


84        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

"  /  won't,"  said  Harry,  who,  with  his  arms 
buried  almost  to  the  elbows  in  his  pockets, 
was  striding  backward  and  forward  across 
the  steps.  u  I  say  the  Hillers  ought  to  be 
thrashed." 

"  I'm  afraid,"  said  William,  without  notic- 
ing what  Harry  had  remarked,  "  that  our  in- 
terference will  be  the  surest  way  to  bring  on 
a  fight;  because,  after  I  refused  to  join  the 
company,  they  told  me  that  if  any  of  us  at- 
tempted to  defend  the  Hillers,  or  break  up  the 
company,  they  would  thrash  us,  too." 

"  We  do  n't  want  to  break  up  their  com- 
pany," said  Frank,  with  a  laugh.  "  We  must 
have  a  talk  with  them,  and  try  to  show  them 
how  unreasonable  they  are." 

"  Here  they  come,  now,"  said  George,  point- 
ing up  the  road. 

The  boys  looked  in  the  direction  indicated, 
and  saw  the  Regulators  just  turning  the  corner 
of  the  street  that  led  to  Mr.  Morgan's  house. 
They  came  around  in  fine  order,  marching  four 
abreast,  and  turned  up  the  street  that  led  to 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        85 

me  post-office.  They  had  evidently  been  wel- 
drilled,  for  they  kept  step  admirably. 

"  They  look  nice,  don't  they?  "  said  Ben. 

"  Yes,"  answered  George ;  "  and  if  they  were 
enlisted  in  a  good  cause,  I  would  off  with  my 
hat  and  give  them  three  cheers." 

The  Regulators  had  almost  reached  the  post- 
office,  when  they  suddenly  set  up  a  loud  shout, 
and,  breaking  ranks,  started  on  a  full  run 
down  the  street.  The  boys  saw  the  reason  for 
this,  when  they  discovered  Lee  Powell  coming 
up  the  road  that  led  from  the  river,  with  a 
larg*  string  of  fish  in  hand.  He  always  had 
good  luck,  but  he  seemed  to  have  been  more 
fortunate  than  usual,  for  his  load  was  about 
as  heavy  as  he  could  convenienty  carry.  He 
walked  rapidly  along,  evidently  very  much 
Dccupied  with  his  own  thoughts,  when,  sud- 
denly, two  or  three  stones  came  skipping  over 
the  ground,  and  aroused  him  from  his  reverie. 
He  looked  up  in  surprise,  and  discovered  that 
his  enemies  were  so  close  to  him  that  flight 
was  useless. 


86        Frapk,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

The  Regulators  drew  nearer  and  nearer,  and 
the  stones  fell  thick  about  the  object  of  their 
wrath,  until,  finally,  one  struck  him  on  the 
shoulder,  and  another  knocked  his  cap  from 
his  head. 

"  I  can't  stand  that,"  said  Frank ;  and, 
springing  from  the  steps,  he  started  to  the 
rescue,  followed  by  all  of  his  companions, 
(except  Harry,  who  still  paced  the  steps),  and 
they  succeeded  in  throwing  themselves  be- 
tween Lee  and  his  assailants. 

Several  of  the  Regulators  faltered  on  seeing 
Lee  thus  defended;  but  Charles,  followed  by 
half  a  dozen  of  his  "  right-hand  men,"  ad- 
vanced, and  attempted  to  force  his  way  be-, 
tveen  Frank  and  his  companions. 

"  Hold  on,  here!  "  said  Frank,  as  he  gently, 
but  firmly  resisted  Charles's  attempts  to 
push  him  aside.  "  What  are  you  trying  to 
do?" 

"  What  business  is  that  of  yours?"  answered 
Charles,  roughly,  as  he  continued  his  effortf* 
to  reach  Lee.  "  You  question  me  as  if  you 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        87 

my  master.  Stand  aside,  if  you  don't  want 
to  get  yourself  in  trouble." 

"  You  don't  intend  to  hurt  Lee,  do  you?  " 

"  Yes,  I  do.  But  it's  none  of  your  business, 
any  way.  Get  out  of  the  way !  " 

"  Has  he  ever  done  you  any  harm?  " 

"  It's  none  of  your  business,  I  say !  "  shouted 
Charles,  now  almost  beside  himself  with  rage. 
"  And  I  want  you  to  keep  your  hands  off  me !  " 
he  continued,  as  Frank  seized  his  arm,  which 
he  had  raised  to  strike  Lee,  who  stood  close 
beside  his  protector. 

Frank  released  his  hold,  and  Charles  sprang 
forward  again,  and,  dodging  Frank's  grasp, 
slipped  under  his  arm,  and  attempted  to  seize 
the  Hiller.  But  Frank  was  as  quick  as  a  cat 
in  his  motions ;  ana,  before  Charles  had  time  to 
strike  a  blow,  he  seized  him  with  a  grip  that 
brought  from  him  a  cry  of  pain,  and  seated 
him,  unceremoniously,  on  the  ground. 

As  soon  as  Charles  could  regain  his  feet, 
he  called  out, 

"Here    it    is,    boys — just    as    I  expected! 


88        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

Never  mind  the  Hiller,  but  yet 's  go  to  work 
and  give  the  other  fellows  a  thrashing  that 
they  won't  get  over  in  a  month." 

And  he  sprang  toward  Frank,  against  whom 
he  seemed  to  cherish  an  especial  grudge,  fol- 
lowed by  a  dozen  Regulators,  who  brandished 
their  fists  as  if  they  intended  to  annihilate 
Lee's  gallant  defenders.  But,  just  as  Charles 
was  about  to  attack  Frank,  a  new  actor  ap- 
peared. Harry  Bntler,  who  had  greatly 
changed  his  mind  in  regard  to  "  thrashing  the 
Hillers,"  seeing  that  the  attack  was  about  to 
be  renewed,  sprang  down  the  steps,  and  caught 
Charles  in  his  arms,  and  threw  him  to  the 
ground,  like  a  log. 

The  others  had  been  no  less  successful  in 
repulsing  their  assailants ;  and,  when  Charles 
rose  to  his  feet,  he  saw  three  or  four  of  the 
Regulators,  who  had  followed  him  to  the  at- 
tack, sprawling  on  the  ground,  and  the  rest 
retreating  precipitately. 

"  Now,"  said  Harry,  "  let's  stop  this;  We've 
had  enough  of  it," 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        89 

But  Charles,  and  several  more  of  the  Regula- 
tors, seemed  to  be  of  a  different  opinion,  and 
were  about  to  recommence  their  hostile  dem- 
onstrations, when  Harry  continued, 

"  We've  only  been  playing  with  you  so  far, 
Charley ;  so  you  had  better  not  try  to  come  any 
more  of  your  Regulator  tricks  on  us.  We 
don't  want  to  fight,  but  we  shall  defend  our- 
selves." 

"  If  you  had  attended  to  your  own  affairs, 
you  would  not  have  been  obliged  to  defend 
yourselves,"  said  Charles,  sullenly. 

"  What  sort  of  fellows  do  you  suppose  we 
are?  "  said  Harry.  "  If  you  expected  us  to 
stand  still  and  see  thirty  fellows  pitch  on  one, 
you  are  very  much  mistaken." 

"  Come,  Lee,"  said  Frank,  taking  the  former 
by  the  arm,  "  I  guess  we  can  go  now.  We'll 
see  you  out  of  harm's  way." 

The  crestfallen  Regulators  divided  right 
and  left,  and  allowed  Frank  and  his  compan- 
ions to  depart,  unmolested.  They  accom- 
panied Lee  almost  to  the  miserable  hovel  he 


9o        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

called  "  home,"  and,  when  about  to  bid  him 
good-night,  he  said,  with  some  feeling, 

"  I'll  remember  you,  boys ;  and,  if  it  evei 
comes  handy,  you  will  find  that  Lee  Powell 
has  got  feelings,  as  well  as  any  one  else." 

And  he  sprang  over  the  fence,  and  disap- 
peared. 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        91 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  REVENGE. 

WHILE  Frank  and  his  companions  were  ac- 
companying Lee  toward  home,  some  of  the 
Regulators  were  indulging  in  feelings  of  the 
deepest  malice;  and  there  were  about  a  dozen 
of  them — Frank's  old  enemies — who  deter- 
mined that  he  should  not  go  unpunished.  But 
there  were  others  who  began  to  see  how  cow- 
ardly they  had  acted  in  attacking  a  defense- 
less boy,  for  the  only  reason  that  he  was  a  bad 
boy,  and  to  fear  that  they  had  lost  the  good- 
will of  Frank  and  his  associates.  The  village 
boys,  with  a  few  exceptions,  were  accustomed 
to  look  up  to  Frank  as  a  sort  of  leader;  not 
that  he  aspired  to  the  position,  but  his  gener- 
osity, and  the  easy  way  he  had  of  settling  the 
disputes  that  sometimes  arose  among  the  boys, 


92        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

had  won  for  him  many  a  fast  friend.  We  have 
seen,  however,  that  he  was  not  beloved  by  all ; 
every  good  boy  has  his  enemies,  and  Frank,  of 
course,  had  his  share  of  them.  They  were  boys 
who  were  jealous  of  him,  and  hated  him  be- 
cause he  held  a  position  in  the  estimation  of 
the  village  people  to  which  they  could  not  at- 
tain. But  this  class  was  very  small,  compris- 
ing, as  we  have  said,  about  a  dozen  of  the  Regu- 
lators; and,  while  they  were  enraged  at  their 
defeat,  and  studying  plans  for  revenge,  the 
others  were  repenting  of  their  folly,  and  trying 
to  think  of  some  way  by  which  they  might 
regain  their  lost  reputation. 

Charles's  overbearing  and  haughty  manner 
was  so  different  from  Frank's  kind,  obliging 
ways,  that  they  had  already  grown  tired  of  his 
company,  and  began  to  think  seriously  of  hav- 
ing nothing  more  to  do  with  him;  and  the 
things  that  had  just  transpired  served  4:o  con- 
vince them  that  the  sooner  they  left  him  the 
better. 

As  soon  as  Lee  and  his  gallant  defenders 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        93 

had  disappeared,  one  of  the  Regulators  re- 
marked, 

"  Well,  boys,  I  don't  call  this  a  paying  busr 
ness,  trying  to  thrash  a  boy  who  has  done  us 
no  harm." 

"  That's  my  opinion,"  said  another. 

"  And  I,  for  one,  wish  I  had  kept  out  of  this 
scrape,"  said  a  third. 

"  So  do  I,"  said  the  one  who  had  first  spoken. 

"  Oh,  you  begin  to  back  down,  do  you,  you 
cowards?"  exclaimed  Charles,  who  was  taken 
completely  by  surprise  by  this  sudden  change 
of  affairs.  "  /  never  give  up  till  I  am  whipped. 
If  it  had  n't  been  for  my  lame  hand,  I  would 
have  knocked  some  of  those  fellows  into  cocked 
hats.  I'll  fix  that  Frank  Nelson,  the  next  time 
I  catch  him." 

"  Why  did  n't  you  do  it  to-night?  "  inquired 
one  of  the  boys,  sneeringly. 

"  I've  got  a  lame  hand,  I  tell  you,"  roared 
the  bully ;  "  and  I  do  n't  want  you  to  speak  to 
me  in  that  way  again;  if  you  do,  you  and  I 
will  have  a  meeting." 


94        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

"  That  would  be  an  unpleasant  job  for  you, 
to  say  the  least,"  said  one  of  the  boys;  "the 
most  of  us  are  heartily  sick  of  your  company, 
and  we  have  been  talking,  for  two  or  three 
days,  of  sending  in  our  resignations.  Now, 
boys,"  he  continued,  "  this  is  as  good  an  op- 
portunity as  we  shall  have ;  so  those  that  won't 
have  any  thing  more  to  do  with  Kegulating, 
say  < I ! '  " 

"  I !  I ! "  burst  from  a  score  of  throats. 

"  Now,"  he  resumed,  turning  to  Charles, 
"  good-by ;  and,  if  you  ever  wish  to  recruit  an- 
other -company,  you  need  not  call  on  any  of 
us." 

So  saying,  he  walked  off,  followed  by  nearly 
all  the  Regulators;  those  who  remained  were 
Frank's  enemies  and  rivals. 

"  Well,  boys,"  said  Charles,  as  soon  as  the 
others  had  gone,  "  there  are  a  few  of  us  left, 
and  we  can  annoy  the  fellows  who  think  they 
are  too  good  to  associate  with  us  in  the  worst 
way.  Let  us  adjourn  to  our  barn,  where  we 
can  talk  the  matter  over." 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        95 

A  few  moments'  walk  brought  them  to  Mr. 
Morgan's  house,  and,  when  they  entered  the 
long  carriage-way  that  led  up  to  the  barn, 
Charles  said, 

"  Now,  boys,  you  stay  here,  and  I'll  go  in 
and  get  a  light." 

He  ran  into  the  house,  and  soon  reappeared 
with  a  lantern  in  each  hand,  and  led  the  way 
toward  the  barn.  He  unlocked  the  door,  and 
he  and  his  companions  entered;  and,  after  al- 
lowing them  time  to  examine,  to  their  satisfac- 
tion, the  splendid  equipage  that  had  attracted 
so  much  attention  the  morning  they  arrived  at 
the  village,  Charles  proceeded  to  call  the  meet- 
ing to  order. 

"  Now,  boys,"  said  he,  "  we  don't  intend  to 
disband,  do  we?  " 

"  No,"  answered  several. 

"  Then,  the  first  thing  for  us  to  do  is  to 
change  our  name,  for  we  don't  want  to  let 
those  cowardly  sneaks  that  deserted  us  to- 
night know  anything  about  us.  What  shall 
we  be  called  ?  " 


96        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

"  Several  names  were  proposed,  but  they 
did  not  suit  Charles.  At  length,  one  of  the 
boys  inquired, 

"What  name  would  you  like?" 

"  I  think  that  '  Midnight  Rangers '  would 
be  a  good  name  for  us,"  answered  Charles. 

"  That's  a  splendid  name !  " 

"  Now,"  continued  Charles,  "we  must  change 
our  plan  of  operation  a  little.  We  must  give 
up  the  idea  of  thrashing  the  Hillers  for  awhile, 
because  there  are  not  enough  of  us;  but  I 
should  like  it,  if  we  could  go  to  work  and 
whip  every  one  of  those  fellows  that  stuck  up 
for  Lee  Powell  to-night,  especially  Frank  Nel- 
son." 

"  So  would  I,"  answered  William  Gage, 
whom  Charles  looked  upon  as  his  i  right-hand 
man ; '  "  but  it  would  n't  do  to  attempt  it,  for 
he  has  got  too  many  friends.  We  must  shoot 
his  dog,  or  steal  his  boat,  or  do  something  of 
that  kind.  It  would  plague  him  more  than  a 
dozen  whippings." 

"  That's    so ! "    exclaimed    another    of    the 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        97 

Rangers.  "  If  we  could  only  go  up  there,  some 
dark  night,  and  steal  his  scow,  and  run  her  out 
into  the  river,  and  burn  her,  would  n't  he  be 
mad?" 

"  Yes,"  chimed  in  another,  "  but  it  would  n't 
pay  even  to  attempt  that.  He  always  keeps  his 
boats  chained  up,  and  the  noise  we  would  make 
in  getting  them  loose  would  be  sure  to  start 
that  dog  of  his,  and  then  we  should  have  a 
dusty  time,  I  reckon." 

"  I  guess  so,  too,"  said  William  Gage. 
"  Whatever  we  do,  we  must  be  careful  not  to 
start  that  dog,  for  he  would  go  through  fire 
and  water  to  catch  us ;  and,  if  he  ever  got  hold 
of  one  of  us — " 

And  William  shrugged  his  shoulders,  sig- 
nificantly. 

"  Has  n't  he  got  an  orchard  or  melon-patch 
that  we  could  visit?  "  inquired  Charles. 

"  No,"  answered  one  of  the  Rangers ;  "  but 
he's  got  as  nice  a  strawberry-patch  as  ever 
laid  outdoors.  But  it's  a  little  too  early  for 
strawberries." 


98        Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

"  Who  cares  for  that?  "  said  Charles.  "  We 
don't  go  to  get  the  fruit;  we  only  want  to 
pay  him  for  defending  the  Hillers — meddling 
with  other  people's  business.  It's  too  late  to 
do  any  thing  to-night,"  he  added,  glancing  at 
his  watch,  "  but  let  us  go  there  to-morrow 
night,  and  pull  up  every  strawberry-plant  we 
can  lay  our  hands  on.  You  know,  we  can  do 
as  much  mischief  of  that  kind  as  we  please, 
and  it  will  all  be  laid  to  the  Hillers." 

"  Where  shall  we  meet  ?"  inquired  one  of 
the  Rangers. 

"  Come  here  precisely  at  seven  o'clock,  and, 
remember,  don't  lisp  a  single  word  to  any  one 
about  it,  for,  if  you  do,  we  shall  be  found  out." 

The  Rangers  were  about  to  disperse,  when 
o»e  of  them  suddenly  inquired, 

"  Will  not  folks  mistrust  that  something  is 
in  the  wind,  if  they  see  us  all  starting  up  the 
road  at  that  time  of  night?  " 

"That's  a  fact,"  said  William  Gage. 
"  Would  n't  it  be  a  better  plan  for  us  to  meet 
in  the  woods,  at  the  back  of  Mrs.  Nelson's  lot? 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.        99 

Let  us  all  be  there  at  eight  o'clock ;  and,  if  no 
two  of  us  go  in  company,  no  one  will  be  the 
wiser  for  it." 

"  That  is  the  best  plan,"  said  Charles.  "Now, 
remember,  don't  say  any  thing  about  it." 

"  All  right !  "  was  the  answer ;  and,  in  a  few 
moments  more,  the  Rangers  were  on  their  way 
home. 

The  next  evening,  at  seven  o'clock,  Charles 
left  his  home,  and,  avoiding  the  principal 
streets  as  much  as  possible,  started  toward  the 
place  of  rendezvous,  where  he  arrived  at  almost 
precisely  the  time  agreed  upon.  He  found  the 
Rangers  all  waiting  for  him ;  and,  as  it  was 
already  dark,  it  was  decided  to  commence 
opeiations  immediately. 

"  We  want  a  guide,"  said  Charles,  who,  of 
course,  was  captain  of  the  Rangers.  "  Who 
knows  exactly  where  that  strawberry-bed  lies? 
for,  if  we  have  to  fumble  about  much,  we  shall 
start  that  dog,  and  then,  it  strikes  me,  from 
what  I  have  seen  and  heard  of  him,  we  shall 
b«  in  a  predicament." 


loo      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

"  You  may  safely  bet  on  that,"  said  one  of 
the  boys ;  "  he's  a  savage  fellow." 

"And  a  first-rate  watch-dog,  too,"  ob- 
served another. 

"  Well,"  said  Charles,  "  all  we  have  to  do  is 
to  move  so  still  that  you  can't  hear  a  leaf 
rustle ;  but,  if  we  do  rouse  the  dog,  let  each  one 
grab  a  stone  and  let  him  have  it." 

"  That  would  only  make  a  bad  matter 
worse,"  said  one. 

"  I  am  afraid  we  shall  have  more  than  we 
bargained  for,  if  we  undertake  that,"  remarked 
another. 

"  Let  the  cowards  go  home,  and  the  rest 
come  with  me,"  said  Charles,  impatiently. 
"  Bill,"  he  continued,  turning  to  his  right- 
hand  man,  "  can  you  act  as  guide?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Then,  lead  on." 

William  led  the  way  out  of  the  woods,  across 
a  narrow  meadow,  where  they  came  to  the 
fence  that  enclosed  Mrs.  Nelson's  garden. 

"  Now,  boys,"  he  whispered,  "  keep  still  as 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.       101 

mice;  but,  if  we  do  start  the  dog,  don't  stop 
to  fight  him,  but  run  like  white-heads." 

The  Rangers  climbed  over  the  fence,  and 
followed  their  guide,  who  threaded  his  way 
through  the  trees  and  bushes  with  a  skill 
worthy  of  a  better  cause,  and  a  few  moments 
sufficed  to  bring  them  to  the  strawberry-patch. 

"  Be  careful,  boys,"  said  Charles,  in  a  low 
whisper.  "  Don't  leave  a  single  plant  in  the 
ground." 

The  young  scapegraces  worked  with  a  will, 
and,  in  a  few  moments,  the  strawberry-bed — 
which  was  Frank's  pride,  next  to  his  museum, 
and  on  which  he  had  expended  a  great  amount 
of  labor — was  almost  ruined;  and  so  quietly 
did  they  proceed  in  their  work  of  wanton  de- 
struction, that  Brave,  although  a  very  vigilant 
dog,  was  not  aroused,  and  the  marauders  re- 
traced their  steps,  and  reached  the  woods  in 
safety. 

"There,"  said  Charles,  at  length,  "that's 
what  I  call  doing  it  up  brown.  It  almost  pays 
off  my  debts.  I  don't  think  they  will  receive 


102      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

much  benefit  from  those  strawberries  this 
year." 

"  They  have  got  some  nice  pears,"  said  one 
of  the  Rangers,  "  and  when  they  get  ripe,  we 
must  plan  another  expedition." 

"  That's  so,"  answered  Charles.  "  But  we 
must  not  forget  that  we  have  others  to  settle 
with ;  and  we  must  meet,  some  time  next  week, 
and  determine  who  shall  be  visited  next." 

On  the  following  morning,  Frank  arose,  as 
usual,  at  four  o'clock,  and,  shouldering  his 
fish-pole,  started  off  through  the  woods  to 
catch  a  mess  of  trout,  intending  to  be  back  by 
breakfast-time.  But,  as  the  morning  was 
cloudy,  the  trout  bit  voraciously,  and  in  the 
excitement  of  catching  them,  he  forgot  that  he 
was  hungry,  and  it  was  almost  noon  before  he 
reached  home. 

As  soon  as  he  entered  the  house,  Aunt  Han- 
nah exclaimed, 

"  Master  Frank,  you  were  altogether  too 
good  to  Lee  Powell,  the  other  night," 

"  What  makes  you  think  so,"  he  inquired. 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.       103 

At  this  moment,  Julia,  bearing  his  voice, 
burst  in  from  the  dining-room,  exclaiming, 

"  Frank,  the  Hillers  have  robbed  your  straw- 
berry-patch ! " 

"  Not  robbed  it,  exactly,"  said  his  mother, 
who  had  followed  close  after  Julia,  "  but  they 
have  completely  ruined  it.  There  are  not  a 
dozen  plants  left  in  the  ground." 

Frank  was  so  surprised  that  he  could 
scarcely  utter  a  word;  and,  hardly  waiting  to 
hear  what  his  mother  said,  he  hurried  from  the 
house  toward  the  strawberry-patch.  It  did, 
indeed,  present  a  strange  and  desolate  appear- 
ance. The  bed  had  covered  nearly  half  an 
acre;  and,  so  well  had  the  Hangers  performed 
their  work,  that  but  few  plants  were  left 
standing.  The  sight  was  enough  to  upset  even 
Frank's  well-established  patience,  and  he  ex- 
claimed, 

"  If  I  had  the  rascals  that  did  this  mischief, 
I  could  pay  them  for  it,  without  troubling  my 
conscience  much." 

"  You  must  tell  Lee  Powell,  the  next  time 


104      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

you  see  him/'  said  Julia,  who  had  followed 
him,  "  that  he  ought  not  to — 

"  Lee  did  n't  do  it,"  said  Frank. 

"  What  makes  you  think  so?  " 

"  See  here,"  said  Frank,  bending  over  a  foot- 
print in  the  soft  earth;  "the  Hillers  all  go 
bare-foot,  and  these  fellows  wore  boots.  I 
know  who  did  it,  as  well  as  if  I  had  seen  them. 
It  was  the  work  of  Charles  Morgan  and  a  few 
of  his  particular  friends.  They  must  have  been 
very  still  about  it,  for  Brave  didn't  hear 
them." 

"  I  do  n't  see  what  object  they  had  in  doing 
it,"  said  Julia. 

"  I  know  what  they  did  it  for,"  said  Frank ; 
"  and  if  I  ever  catch—  But,"  he  added,  check- 
ing himself,  "  there's  no  use  in  grumbling 
about  it;  no  amount  of  fretting  will  repair  the 
damage." 

So  saying,  he  led  the  way  toward  the  house. 

It  did  not  take  him  long  to  don  his  working- 
suit,  and,  shouldering  his  hoe,  he  returned  to 
the  strawberry-bed,  and,  in  less  than  an  hour, 
the  plants  were  all  in  the  ground  again. 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      105 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

HOW  TO  SPEND  THE  FOURTH. 

THAT  evening,  after  supper,  Frank  retired 
to  his  room,  and,  settling  himself  in  his  com- 
fortable arm-chair,  was  soon  deeply  interested 
in  one  of  Bayard  Taylor's  works.  While  thus 
engaged,  a  light  step  was  heard  in  the  hall, 
and,  afterward,  a  gentle  rap  at  his  door,  and 
Julia  came  into  the  room. 

"  Now,  Frank,"  she  began,  "  I  don't  want 
you  to  read  to-night." 

"Why  not?"  he  inquired. 

"  Why,  you  know  that  day  after  to-morrow 
is  the  Fourth  of  July,  and— 

"  And  you  have  n't  got  your  fire-works  yet?" 
interrupted  Frank. 

"  That's  it,  exactly." 


io6      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

"  Well,"  said  her  brother,  rising  to  put  away 
his  book,  "  then,  I  suppose,  I  shall  have  to  go 
down  to  the  village  and  get  you  some.  What 
do  you  want?  " 

"  I  want  all  the  things  that  are  written  down 
on  this  paper." 

Frank  took  the  paper  and  read,  "  Three 
packs  of  fire-crackers,  four  boxes  of  torpedoes, 
three  Roman  candles,  half  a  dozen  pin-wheels, 
and  a  dozen  sky-rockets." 

"  Whew !  "  said  Frank,  as  he  folded  up  the 
paper  and  put  it  into  his  pocket,  "  that's  wliat 
I  should  call  going  it  strong.  Well,  I'll  tell 
Mr.  Sheldon  (the  store-keeper)  to  send  up  all 
the  fire-works  he  has  got." 

Julia  burst  into  a  loud  laugh,  and  the  next 
moment,  Frank  and  Brave  were  out  of  the 
gate,  on  their  way  to  the  village. 

In  the  meantime  several  of  Frank's  acquaint- 
ances had  been  amusing  themselves  on  the  vil- 
lage common  with  a  game  of  ball.  At  length 
it  grew  too  dark  for  their  sport  to  continue, 
and  one  of  the  boys  proposed  that  they  should 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      107 

decide  upon  some  pleasant  way  of  spending 
the  Fourth. 

In  spite  of  the  humiliating  defeat  which 
Charles  Morgan  and  his  companions  had  sus- 
tained, they  were  present;  and  the  former, 
who  had  been  making  every  exertion  to  regain 
the  good-will  of  the  village  boys,  exclaimed, 

"  Let's  go  hunting." 

"  No,  no,"  shouted  several. 

"  The  game  in  the  woods  is  n't  good  for  any 
thing  this  time  of  year,  Charley,"  said  James 
Porter,  who,  although  he  cordially  disliked 
Charles,  always  tried  to  treat  him  kindly. 

"Who  cares  for  that?"  exclaimed  Charles, 
who,  having  always  been  accustomed  to  lead 
and  govern  his  city  associates,  could  not  en- 
dure the  steadfastness  with  which  these  "  rude 
country  boys,"  as  he  called  them,  held  to  their 
own  opinions.  Although,  during  the  whole 
afternoon,  he  had  been  endeavoring  to  work 
himself  into  their  favor,  he  was  angry,  in  an 
instant,  at  the  manner  in  which  they  opposed 
his  proposition.  He  had  been  considerably 


io8      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

abashed  at  his  recent  defeat,  and  he  knew  that 
it  had  humbled  him  in  the  estimation  of  the 
Rangers,  who,  although  they  still  "  held  true  " 
to  him,  had  changed  their  minds  in  regard  to 
the  prowess  of  their  leader,  and  began  to  re- 
gard him,  as  one  of  them  remarked,  as  a  "mere 
bag  of  wind." 

Charles  was  not  long  in  discovering  this, 
and  he  determined  to  seize  the  first  oppor- 
tunity that  was  offered  to  retrieve  his  reputa- 
tion. 

Hastily  casting  his  eyes  over  the  group  that 
surrounded  him,  he  discovered  that  Frank  and 
Harry,  the  ones  he  most  feared,  were  still  ab- 
sent. This  was  exactly  what  he  had  wished  for. 
With  the  assistance  of  his  companions,  the 
Rangers,  who,  he  was  confident,  would  uphold 
him,  he  could  settle  up  all  old  scores,  without 
fear  of  suffering  in  return. 

Addressing  himself  to  James,  he  continued, 
in  an  insulting  tone, 

"  We  don't  go  to  get  the  game  to  eat .  you 
blockhead,  but  only  for  the  sport  of  killing  it." 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      109 

"  I  know  that,"  answered  James,  in  a  mild 
voice,  not  the  least  disconcerted  by  the  other's 
furious  manner;  "but  wouldn't  it  be  better 
to—" 

"  Shut  up !  "  shouted  Charles.  "  I'll  do  just 
as  I  please.  Besides,  I  never  allow  any  one  to 
dictate  to  me." 

"  I  did  n't  intend  to  dictate  at  all,  Charley. 
I  was  going  to  say — " 

"  Are  you  going  to  keep  still,"  roared  the 
bully,  "  or  shall  I  make  you?  " 

And  he  began  to  advance  toward  James. 

"  See  here,  old  fellow,"  said  Ben  Lake,  sud- 
denly striding  up,  and  placing  himself  directly 
in  front  of  Charles,  "  don't  begin  another 
fight,  now." 

"  I'll  show  you  whether  I  will  or  not,"  ex- 
claimed Charles ;  and,  turning  to  the  Rangers, 
he  continued,  "  Come  on,  boys !  We  can  have 
things  all  our  own  way  now.  We'll  see  if — ' 

"  Hold  on ! "  shouted  William  Johnson. 
"  Here  comes  Frank.  Now  you  had  better  take 
yourself  off  in  a  hurry." 


no      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

Charles's  hostile  demonstrations  ceased  in 
an  instant;  and,  hastily  whispering  a  few 
words  to  the  Rangers,  they  disappeared. 

In  a  few  moments,  Frank,  accompanied  by 
George  and  Harry,  arrived,  and  the  boys,  in 
a  few  words,  explained  to  them  what  had  just 
happened. 

"  I  hope,"  said  Frank,  "  that  Charley  will 
see,  before  long,  how  unreasonably  he  acts. 
He  makes  himself,  and  every  one  around  him, 
uncomfortable." 

"  Well,"  said  James  Porter,  "  all  I  have  got 
to  say  is  that  those  fellows  who  go  with  him 
are  very  .foolish.  However,  we  can't  help  it. 
But,  come,"  he  added,  "  we  were  trying  to  find 
some  pleasant  way  of  spending  the  Fourth." 

"  Let's  have  a  picnic  on  Strawberry  Island," 
said  one. 

"  We  want  something  exciting,"  said  an- 
other. "  Let's  have  a  boat-race." 

"  Come,  Frank,"  said  Ben  Lake,  "  let's  hear 
what  you  have  got  to  say.  Suggest  some- 
thing." 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.       in 

"  Well,"  answered  Frank,  who  was  always 
ready  with  some  plan  for  amusement,  "  I  have 
been  thinking,  for  two  or  three  days,  of  some- 
thing which,  I  believe,  will  afford  us  a  great 
deal  of  sport.  In  the  first  place,  I  suppose, 
\we  are  all  willing  to  pass  part  of  the  day  on 
the  river?  " 

"  Yes,  of  course,"  answered  the  boys. 

"  The  next  thing,"  continued  Frank,  "  is 
to  ascertain  how  many  sail-boats  we  can 
raise." 

"  I'll  bring  mine." 

"  And  mine,"  called  out  several  voices. 

"  Oh,  that's  no  way  to  do  business,"  ex- 
claimed William  Johnson,  who  always  liked 
to  see  things  go  off  in  oider.  "  Let  all  those 
who  have  boats  hold  up  their  hands." 

Sixteen  hands  came  up,  and  Frank  said, 

"  We  shall  be  gone  all  day,  and,  of  course, 
we  want  plenty  of  provisions." 

"  Of  course." 

"  Well,  then,  what  I  thought  of  proposing 
is  this :  Let  us  take  three  or  four  of  the  swift- 


U2      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

est  sail-boats,  and  give  the  provisions  into  their 
charge,  and  call  them  smugglers,  and  let  the 
other  boats  play  the  part  of  revenue-cutters, 
or  a  blockading  squadron,  and  let  the  smug- 
glers try  to  land  the  provisions  on  Strawberry 
Island,  without  being  caught." 

"  That's  capital !  "  shouted  several. 

"  It's  better  than  shooting  game,  at  this 
time  of  year,"  said  one. 

"  Yes,  and  being  scolded  all  day  by  that 
tyrant,"  observed  another,  who  had  belonged 
to  the  Regulators. 

"  It  will  take  some  time  to  make  all  our 
arrangements,"  said  William,  "  and  I  move 
that  we  adjourn  to  our  house,  where  we  can 
hold  our  meeting  in  order." 

This  was  readily  assented  to,  and  William 
led  the  way,  followed  by  all  the  boys,  who  were 
highly  delighted  at  Frank's  plan  of  spending 
the  Fourth. 

George  Butler  was  speedily  chosen  president 
of  the  meeting,  and,  in  less  than  half  an  hour, 
their  arrangements  were  completed. 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      113 

The  Speedwell,  Champion,  and  Alert — the 
latter  a  fine  little  schooner,  owned  by  George 
and  Harry — were  to  act  the  part  of  smug- 
glers, and  Ben  Lake  and  Thomas  Benton,  who 
had  no  boats,  were  chosen  by  the  smugglers 
to  assist  them.  The  provisions,  of  which  each 
boy  was  expected  to  furnish  hi§  share,  were  all 
to  be  left  at  Mr.  Butler's  boat-house  by  six 
o'clock  on  the  following  evening,  where  they 
were  to  be  taken  charge  of  by  the  smugglers, 
of  whom  Frank  was  chosen  leader.  It  was  also 
understood  that  the  smugglers  were  to  carry 
the  provisions  all  in  one  boat,  and  were  to  be 
allowed  to  take  every  possible  advantage  of  the 
"  men-o'-war,"  and  to  make  every  effort  to  land 
the  provisions  on  the  island. 

The  other  thirteen  boats,  which  were  to  act 
as  "  coast-guards,"  were  to  be  under  the  com- 
mand of 'Charles  Sheldon,  a  shrewd,  cunning 
fellow,  who  had  the  reputation  of  being  able 
to  handle  a  sail-boat  as  well  as  any  boy  in  the 
village. 

The  coast-guards  were    also    divided    into 


ii4      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

divisions  of  three  boats  each,  and  a  captain 
was  appointed  for  each  division. 

These  arrangements,  as  we  have  said,  were 
speedily  completed;  and,  although  the  coast- 
guards were  almost  wild  with  delight  at  the 
prospect  of  the  exciting  times  that  would  occur 
during  the  race,  they  were  confident  that  the 
smugglers  could  be  easily  caught,  and  even 
some  of  the  smugglers  themselves  seemed  to 
think  that  their  chances  of  landing  the  provi- 
sions were  small  indeed. 

As  the  meeting  was  about  to  break  up,  one 
of  the  coast-guards  exclaimed, 

"  We'll  have  easy  times  catching  you  smug- 
glers." 

"  Do  you  think  so?  "  asked  Harry  Butler. 

"  It  would  be  funny  if  you  should  slip  up  on 
it,  would  n't  it?  " 

"  We'll  risk  that,"  said  another,  "  for  we've 
got  thirteen  boats  to  your  three." 

"  I  say,  Frank,"  said  Charles  Sheldon, 
"don't  you  think  we  can  catch  you?" 

"  Oh,  yes,"  answered  Frank,  "  easily  enough, 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      115 

if  you  only  try.  Now,  boys,"  he  continued, 
"  remember  that  we  want  all  the  refreshments 
left  at  Mr.  Butler's  boat-house,  by  six  o'clock 
to-morrow  evening." 

They  all  promised  to  be  on  hand,  and  the 
meeting  broke  up. 

But  the  coast-guards  gathered  in  little  knots 
in  front  of  the  house,  or  walked  slowly  toward 
home,  talking  the  matter  over,  and  congratu- 
lating themselves  on  the  easy  manner  in  which 
the  capture  of  the  "  contrabands  "  was  to  be 
effected. 

The  smugglers  remained  together,  and,  as 
soon  as  the  others  were  out  of  hearing,  George 
inquired, 

"  Do  you  think  we  can  give  them  the 
slip?" 

"  Yes,"  answered  Frank,  "  I  am  certain  we 
can.  We  must  not  think  of  beating  them  in 
sailing,  because  there  are  too  many  of  them, 
but  we  must  outwit  them." 

"  What  do  you  propose  to  do? "  inquired 
Ben. 


n6      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

"  We  must  get  up  in  the  morning  before 
they  do." 

"  We  shall  be  obliged  to  get  up  at  twelve 
o'clock,  then,"  said  Thomas. 

"  I  had  rather  stay  up  all  night  than  have 
them  beat  us,"  said  Harry. 

"  Well,  boys,"  said  George,  "  you  must  all 
come  and  sleep  at  our  house  to-morrow  night. 
Some  of  us  will  be  sure  to  wake  up  early,  and, 
I  think,  we  shall  have  no  trouble  in  getting  the 
start  of  the  coast-guards." 

The  boys  spent  some  time  in  talking  over 
their  plans,  and,  finally,  reluctantly  separated, 
and  started  for  home. 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      117 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE   COAST-GUARDS   OUTWITTED. 

ABOUT  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the 
following  day,  Frank  bade  his  mother  and 
sister  good-by,  and  he  and  Brave  got  into  the 
Speedwell,  and  sailed  slowly  down  the  creek. 
He  found  the  Champion  already  moored  at 
Mr.  Butler's  dock,  and  the  smugglers  were  all 
waiting  for  him.  As  soon  as  he  landed,  Ben 
Lake  said, 

"  Frank,  it  is  a  gone  case  with  us.  I  know 
we  shall  be  caught." 

"  You  think  so,  do  you?  "  asked  Frank,  as 
if  not  at  all  concerned. 

"  Yes,  I'm  certain  of  it.  I  overheard  some 
conversation  among  the  coast-guards,  this  af 
ternoon,  and  one  of  them  said  that  Charley 


n8      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

Sheldon  would  have  tlje  whole  fleet  anchored 
before  the  mouth  of  the  creek  at  half-past  two 
to-morrow  morning." 

"  Besides,"  said  William  Johnson,  "  they  are 
all  going  to  sleep  in  their  boats  to-night,  and 
the  North  Star  and  Sampson  are  to  act  as 
police." 

"  And  I  heard  Charley  Sheldon  say,''  chimed 
in  Harry,  "  That  strict  watch  must  be  kept  of 
the  Speedwell,  and  no  attention  paid  to  the 
other  boats." 

"  That's  all  right,"  said  Frank.  "  I'm  glad 
of  it." 

"  Why  are  you?  "  asked  George,  in  surprise. 
"  You  know,  we  agreed  to  carry  the  provisions 
all  in  one  boat,  and  yours  is  the  only  one  that 
will  hold  them  all." 

"  I  tell  you,  Frank,  we're  gone  suckers," 
said  Ben. 

"  You  fellows  seem  to  be  pretty  well  posted 
as  to  the  coast-guards'  intentions,"  said  Frank. 

"Yes,"  said  George;  "we've  been  spying 
about  and  playing  eavesdroppers  all  day." 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      119 

"  I  have  learned  one  thing  to-day,"  said 
Frank,  "  that  pleased  me  very  much,  and  that 
is  that  the  coast-guards  intend  to  keep  spies 
about  the  boat-house  all  night." 

"Why  does  that  please  you?"  inquired 
Harry.  "  Do  you  want  them  to  discover  all 
our  plans,  so  that  they  may  be  ready  for 
us?" 

"  By  no  means.  I'll  risk  a  good  deal  that 
they  will  not  learn  more  than  we  want  them 
to  know.  I've  thought  of  a  way  to  set  them  on 
the  \vrong  scent,  and,  from  what  I  have  heard, 
I  think  it  will  work  first-rate." 

"What  is  it?" 

"  I'll  show  you  in  half  a  minute,"  said 
Frank.  "  All  we  have  got  to  do  is  to  fool  the 
spies;  then  we  are  all  right." 

At  this  moment  several  boys,  belonging  to 
the  blockading  squadron,  entered  the  boat- 
house,  bringing  their  refreshments,  and  this, 
of  course,  put  a  stop  to  all  further  conversa- 
tion between  the  smugglers. 

By  six  o'clock  the  last  basket  of  provisions 


I2O      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

had  been  brought  in,  and  the  coast-guards 
took  their  departure,  after  repeatedly  assuring 
the  smugglers  that  their  capture  was  cer- 
tain. 

The  provisions  had  been  brought  in  twenty 
medium-sized  market-baskets,  and  one  large 
clothes-basket  that  belonged  to  George  and 
Harry,  and  seven  pails.  There  was,  also,  a 
small  bag  filled  with  lemons,  which  had  been 
brought  by  Charles  Sheldon. 

The  boys  stood  for  some  time  looking  at 
them  without  speaking.  At  length,  Thomas 
Benton  said, 

"  You  will  have  to  carry  them,  Frank.  They 
will  make  too  large  a  load  for  either  of  the 
other  boats." 

"  I  know  that,"  said  Frank;  "but  we  must 
make  the  coast-guards  think  that  the  Alert  is 
going  to  carry  them." 

"  How  can  we  manage  that? "  inquired 
George. 

"  Have  you  got  three  or  four  market-baskets, 
a  clothes-basket,  one  or  two  pails,  and  a  salt- 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      121 

bag?"  asked  Frank,  without  stopping  to  an- 
swer George's  question. 

"  I  guess  so,"  said  Harry.  "  I'll  go  up  to  the 
house  and  see." 

He  led  the  way,  followed  by  three  or  four  of 
the  smugglers,  and  the  articles  in  question 
were  soon  brought  into  the  boat-house. 

"  Now,  Bill,"  said  Frank,  "  you  take  thi ; 
salt-bag,  if  you  please,  and  fill  it  with  smooth, 
round  stones,  about  the  size  of  lemons." 

"  All  right,"  answered  William,  who  began 
to  see  through  the  trick. 

"  Now,"  continued  Frank,  "  we  want  some 
pieces  of  cloth,  large  enough  to  tie  over  the 
tops  of  these  baskets  and  pails." 

These  were  speedily  procured,  and,  in  a  few 
moments,  William  returned  with  the  salt-bag 
filled  with  stones. 

"  Now,  tell  us  what  you  intend  to  do,"  ex- 
claimed Harry,  whose  patience  was  well-nigh 
exhausted. 

"  We  are  making  some  sham  provisions," 
said  Frank. 


122      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  thought  so,"  said  Thomas ;  "  but 
we  have  n't  got  pails  and  baskets  enough." 

"Oh,  that's  nothing,"  said  Frank.  "We'll 
fill  half  a  dozen  of  these  bags  with  shavings, 
and,  as  soon  as  it  grows  dark,  we'll  pull  the 
Alert  alongside  the  wharf,  and  tumble  these 
sham  provisions  into  her;  then  we  will  cover 
them  up  with  that  piece  of  sail,  as  if  we  wanted 
to  keep  them  dry.  We'll  be  sure  to  fool  the 
men-o'-war." 

"  I  don't  exactly  see  it,"  said  Thomas. 

"  Why,"  said  Harry,  "  as  soon  as  we  are  out 
of  sight,  their  spies,  who  are,  of  course,  watch- 
ing every  movement,  will  go  and  tell  Charley 
Sheldon  that  we  have  got  the  things  stowed 
away  in  the  Alert." 

"  That's  very  well,  as  far  as  you  go,"  said 
Ben;  but  suppose  they  should  mistrust  that 
something  is  in  the  wind,  and  should  go  to 
work  and  examine  the  provisions?  " 

"  What  if  they  do?  "  said  Frank.  "  It  will 
be  too  dark  for  them  to  make  much  of  an  ex- 
amination ;  and,  if  they  put  their  hands  into 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      123 

the  boat,  they  will  feel  the  baskets  and  pails 
there,  and  will  go  away  satisfied." 

The  boys  now  saw  through  the  trick,  and 
there  was  no  longer  any  feeling  of  doubt  in 
their  minds.  They  were  now  as  certain  of 
success  as  they  had  before  been  of  being  cap- 
tured. 

In  a  few  moments  the  "  sham  provisions/'  as 
Frank  had  called  them,  were  all  completed, 
and,  placing  them  where  they  could  be  easily 
taken  out,  they  locked  the  door,  to  prevent  sur- 
prise, and  started  for  the  house. 

As  they  were  about  to  enter  the  gate,  George 
suddenly  exclaimed, 

"See  there!" 

The  boys  looked  in  the  direction  George  indi- 
cated,  and  saw  the  blockading  squadron,  with 
the  exception  of  two  boats,  anchored  in  the 
creek,  just  opposite  the  long  dock.  The  North 
Star,  a  fine,  swift-sailing  little  schooner,  was 
anchored  near  the  middle  of  the  stream,  and  a 
boy  sat  in  the  stern  sheets,  reading  a  book. 
The  Sampson,  a  very  large  sloop-rigged  boat, 


124      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

was  standing  up  the  creek,  under  full  sail. 
These  were  the  "  police  boats,"  and  they  were 
taking  their  stations. 

"  I  wonder  where  the  Sampson  is  going," 
said  Harry. 

"  She's  going  to  take  her  station  in  Duck's 
Creek,"  said  Ben. 

Upon  hearing  this,  Harry's  expectations  fell 
again. 

"  It's  no  use,"  he  exclaimed.  "  Charley  Shel- 
don knows  too  much  for  us." 

"  Not  a  bit,"  said  Frank.  "  This  arrange- 
ment is  only  for  to-nignt.  When  we  get  up  in 
the  morning,  we  shall  find  the  boats  all  out  in 
the  river." 

This  immediately  reassured  Harry;  and, 
after  watching  the  Sampson  until  she  disap- 
peared in  Duck's  Creek,  he  led  the  way  to  the 
house. 

After  supper,  as  soon  as  it  began  to  grow 
dark,  they  proceeded  to  put  their  plans  into 
execution;  but,  before  they  started,  Frank 
said, 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.       125 

"  Now,  boys,  we  must  watch  and  see  how  the 
trick  takes,  for  I  know  that  there  are  spies 
now  around  that  boat-house.  As  soon  as  we 
get  the  sham  provisions  into  the  boat,  one  or 
two  of  us  had  better  slip  down  into  the  willows 
behind  the  wharf,  and  see  what  course  things 
are  going  to  take." 

"  Well,"  said  Harry,  "  suppose  you  and  Bill 
act  as  spies." 

"Agreed.  Come  on,  but  don't  act  as  if 
you  suspected  any  thing." 

And  he  led  the  way  toward  the  boat-house. 

Two  of  the  boys  busied  themselves  in  bring- 
ing out  the  sham  provisions,  and  the  others 
brought  the  Alert  alongside,  and  fastened  her 
to  the  dock,  in  front  of  the  boat-house.  Frank 
and  Harry  then  got  down  into  the  boat,  and 
the  other  boys  passed  the  provisions  down  to 
them,  and  they  placed  them  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  take  up  as  much  space  as  possible.  They 
were  soon  all  stowed  away,  and  covered  over 
with  a  large  sail,  as  if  to  keep  off  the  dew. 

Ban  and  George  then  got  into  a  small  skiff 


126      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

that  lay  at  the  dock,  and  towed  the  Alert  out 
into  the  middle  of  the  creek,  and  anchored  her. 
As  soon  as  this  was  done  they  returned,  and  the 
smugglers  began  to  amuse  themselves  by  push- 
ing each  other  about  the  wharf.  They  all 
appeared  to  enter  heartily  into  the  sport,  and 
kept  nearing  the  willows  which  extended 
along  the  bank  of  the  creek,  close  to  the  wharf, 
and  Frank  and  William,  watching  their  oppor- 
tunity, concealed  themselves,  and  the  others 
ran  toward  the  house.  They  had  hardly  dis- 
appeared, when  the  smugglers  saw  several  boys 
steal  cautiously  around  the  corner  of  the  boat- 
house,  where  they  had  been  concealed,  and  one 
of  them  crept  up  the  bank,  to  assure  himself 
that  the  coast  was  clear,  while  the  others  re- 
mained in  the  shadow  of  the  house.  The 
former,  who  proved  to  be  Charles  Sheldon,  the 
commander  of  the  coast-guards,  as  soon  as  he 
had  satisfied  himself  that  the  smugglers  had 
gone  into  the  house,  called  out  in  a  low 
whisper,  to  the  others,  who  were  the  captains 
of  the  divisions  of  the  squadron, 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.       127 

"  All  right,  boys ;  go  ahead,  but  be  careful 
not  to  make  any  noise.  I  didn't  see  Frank  Nel- 
son's dog  go  into  the  yard,"  he  continued ;  "  he 
must  be  around  here  somewhere.  We  must  not 
let  him  hear  us." 

Brave  was,,  as  Charles  had  said,  "  around 
there  somewhere."  He  was  lying  by  his  mas- 
ter's side,  among  the  willows,  no  doubt 
wondering  at  the  strange  things  that  were  go- 
ing on,  and,  well-trained  as  he  was,  it  was  with 
great  difficulty  that  Frank  could  keep  him 
quiet. 

The  coast-guards  crossed  the  wharf  with 
noiseless  steps,  and,  unfastening  the  skiff 
which  the  smugglers  had  just  used,  they 
climbed  down  into  it,  and  pushed  off  toward 
the  Alert.  A  few  strokes  brought  them  along- 
side of  her,  and,  thrusting  their  arms  under  the 
sail  they  began  the  examination  which  the 
smugglers  had  so  much  dreaded. 

"  What  do  you  find?  v  inquired  Charles,  who 
still  kept  watch  at  the  top  of  the  bank. 

"  Here  are  a  lot  of  baskets  and  pails,"  said 
one. 


128      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

"  And  here's  the  large  basket  that  Georgt 
and  Harry  brought,"  said  another. 

"  What  are  these  round  things  in  this  bag, 
I  wonder?  "  said  the  one  who  had  first  spoken. 

"  Oh,  those  are  the  lemons  I  brought,"  said 
Charles. 

"Gracious!  how  hard  they  are!"  contin- 
ued the  boy,  trying  to  dig  his  fingers  into 
them. 

At  this,  Frank  and  William,  who,  of  course, 
had  heard  every  word  of  the  conversation,  and 
had  sat  fairly  trembling  with  excitement,  fear- 
ful that  their  trick  would  be  discovered,  could 
scarcely  refrain  from  laughing  outright.  Had 
it  been  daylight,  the  ruse  of  the  smugglers 
would  certainly  have  been  detected,  but,  as  it 
was,  the  coast-guards  never  mistrusted  that 
any  thing  was  wrong.  The  night  was  rather 
dark,  and  the  sham  provisions  were  so  neatly 
tied  up,  and  so  carefully  stowed  away,  that 
the  deception  was  complete. 

"  I  guess  they  are  all  here,"  said  one  of  the 
boys,  at  length. 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      129 

"Well,  come  ashore,  then/'  said  Charles, 
"and  let's  be  off." 

The  boys  pulled  back  to  the  wharf,  and 
Charles  continued, 

"  I  didn't  think  that  the  Alert  would  hold 
all  of  the  refreshments,  did  you?  " 

"  No,"  answered  one  of  the  boys,  whom  the 
smugglers  recognized  as  James  Porter;  "I 
guess  it  was  a  tight  squeeze;  I  could  hardly 
get  my  hand  in  between  the  baskets." 

"  What  do  you  suppose  the  smugglers  in- 
tend to  do?"  inquired  another. 

"  I  don't  know,"  answered  Charles,  "  unless 
they  propose  to  get  up  in  the  morning  before 
we  do,  and  slip  over  to  the  island  before  we 
know  it.  I  wonder  how  they  felt  when  they 
saw  us  taking  our  positions." 

"  But  what  do  you  suppose  made  them  put 
the  provisions  in  the  Alert?  " 

"  Oh,  I  think  I  can  see  through  that  easily 
enough,"  said  James.  "  Frank  knows  that  we 
expected  that  he  was  going  to  carry  them  over 
to  the  island,  and  he  calculates  .to  get  us  to 


130      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

chase  him,  and  give  the  Alert  a  chance  to  land 
the  provisions.  He  is  a  cunning  fellow,  but 
this  time  we  are  too  sharp  for  him." 

"  I  wonder  why  Frank  don't  send  some  one 
out  to  act  as  a  spy,"  said  Charles. 

"  I  guess  he's  afraid  that  he  would  be  taken 
prisoner." 

We  may  as  well  state  here  (and  we  should 
have  done  so  before)  that  it  had  been  agreed 
that  if  one  side  could  catch  any  of  the  other 
acting  as  spies,  they  were  at  liberty  to  hold 
them  as  prisoners  until  the  race  was  over,  and 
that  the  prisoner  should,  if  required,  give  his 
captors  all  the  information  possible  relative  to 
the  movements  and  plans  of  his  party,  and 
they  could  also  require  him  to  lend  assistance 
in  carrying  out  their  own.  The  prisoner,  of 
course,  was  allowed  the  privilege  of  escaping, 
if  he  could. 

This  icas  the  reason  why  the  smugglers  had 
not  sent  out  any  spies ;  and,  if  the  coast-guards 
had  been  aware  that  Frank  and  William  were 
hidden  away  in  the  willows,  thej-  could  easily 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      131 

have  captured  them,  and,  according  to  the 
agreement,  obliged  them  to  divulge  all  their 
plans. 

"  Well,"  said  Charles,  "  we  don't  want  any 
prisoners  now,  for  we  know  all  their  plans; 
but  I  wanted  to  catch  Frank  this  morning,  for 
I  was  afraid  he  would  beat  us.  If  he  should 
find  out  that  this  trick  was  discovered,  lie 
would  plan  another  in  five  minutes.  I  guess 
we  had  better  remain  where  we  are  to-night," 
he  continued,  "  and,  at  half-past  two  o'clock, 
we  will  pull  out  into  the  river,  and  blockade 
the  creek.  All  we  have  to  do  is  to  take  care  of 
the  Alert,  and  let  the  other  boats  do  as  they 
please.  But  we  had  better  be  off,  or  the  smug- 
glers may  slip  out  and  make  some  of  us  pris- 
oners." 

And  the  spies  departed  as  cautiously  and 
quickly  as  they  had  come. 

As  soon  as  they  had  gone,  the  smugglers 
arose  from  their  places  of  concealment,  and 
stole  into  the  house,  and  acquainted  the  other 
boys  with  the  success  of  their  stratagem, 


132      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

After  enjoying  a  hearty  laugh  at  the  ex- 
pense of  the  coast-guards,  led  by  George  and 
Harry,  they  ran  up  stairs  into  the  "  large 
chamber,"  a  room  containing  three  beds,  and 
they  were  soon  snug  between  the  sheets.  But 
sleep  was,  for  a  long  time,  out  of  the  question ; 
they  laughed  and  talked  until  their  jaws  ached, 
and  the  hands  of  the  old  clock  that  stood  in  the 
room  pointed  to  twelve;  then  they  allowed 
their  tired  tongues  to  rest,  and  lay  for  a  long 
time,  each  occupied  with  his  own  thought"*, 
and,  finally,  one  after  the  other  fell  asleep. 

The  hours  passed  on,  and  nothing  was  heard 
but  their  gentle  breathing.  Suddenly  Harry, 
who  always  talked  in  his  sleep  when  any  thing 
exciting  was  going  on,  turned  over  in  bed  with 
a  jerk,  and  began  to  mutter  some  unintelligible 
words.  All  at  once,  raising  himself  to  a  sitting 
posture,  he  sang  out,  at  the  top  of  his  voice, 

"  Starboard  your  helm  there,  George — star- 
board your  helm ;  bring  her  around  quick.  The 
Alert  can  show  as  clean  a  pair  of  heels  as  any 
boat  about  the  village." 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      133 

In  an  instant  the  other  boys  were  awake, 
and  Harry  continued  to  shout  his  directions, 
until  several  hearty  thumps  on  the  back  caused 
him  to  change  his  tune. 

"  Let  me  alone !  "  he  shouted.  "  We  haven't 
cheated  you.  We  promised  to  carry  the  provi- 
sions all  over  in  one  boat,  and  we  've  done  it." 

Harry  was  quickly  dragged  out  of  bed  and 
placed  upon  his  feet,  and  he  was  wide  awake 
in  an  instant,  but  he  stood  in  the  middle  of  the 
room,  as  if  bewildered,  while  the  others  rolled 
on  the  beds,  convulsed  with  laughter. 

At  length,  William  Johnson,  who  was  the 
first  that  could  speak,  inquired, 

"  I  wonder  what  time  it  is." 

"  Wait  until  I  light  this  candle,  and  we'll 
see,"  said  George. 

"  No,  no,  don't  do  that,"  said  Frank.  "  The 
coast-guards  may  be  on  the  watch,  and,  if  they 
see  a  light  in  the  house,  will  be  getting  ready 
for  us." 

And,  going  to  the  clock,  he  opened  it,  and, 
feeling  of  the  hands,  said, 


134      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

"  It's  about  ten  minutes  to  three." 

•'  What  shall  we  do?  "  inquired  Ben. 

"  Let  us  go  and  see  what  our  friends  of  the 
squadron  are  doing,"  said  Thomas ;  "  and,  if 
they  are  not  on  hand,  we  can  slip  over  and  land 
our  goods." 

By  this  time  every  one  was  dressed,  and  they 
crept  carefully  down  stairs  and  out  of  the 
house. 

"  Hold  on  a  minute,  boys,"  said  Frank.  "  I 
will  bet  there  are  spies  around  that  boat-house 
now." 

"  Let's  take  them  prisoners,"  exclaimed 
Harry. 

"  That's  just  what  I  was  about  to  propose," 
said  Frank;  "but,  in  order  to  do  it,  we  had 
better  divide  into  two  parties,  so  as  to  sur- 
round the  house." 

"  Well,"  said  George,  "  three  of  us  will  go 
up  the  road,  and  cross  over  by  the  bridge,  and 
the  rest  of  you  can  go  down  the  road,  and  get 
into  the  willows  behind  the  mill.*' 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      135 

"  That's  a  good  idea/-  said  Frank.  "  We 
will  meet  at  the  back  of  the  boat-house." 

The  boys  accordingly  separated,  and  started 
in  different  directions. 

Frank  and  his  party,  which  consisted  of 
Harry  and  Ben,  threaded  their  way  through 
the  garden,  and  across  a  meadow,  until  they 
arrived  opposite  Mr.  Butler's  mill.  Here  they 
crossed  the  road,  and,  after  a  careful  recon- 
noissance,  entered  the  willows,  and  crawled, 
almost  on  their  hands  and  knees,  toward  the 
boat-house.  At  length  they  arrived  at  the 
place  where  they  were  to  meet  their  com- 
panions, but  nothing  was  to  be  seen  or  heard 
of  them. 

"  I  hope  they  have  not  been  taken  pris- 
oners," whivspered  Frank. 

"I  don't  think  they  have,"  said  Ben,  "be- 
cause we  should  have  heard  something  of  it. 
They  are  not  the  ones  to  give  up  without  a 
struggle.  But  I  don't  see  any  thing  of  the 
spies." 


136      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

"  Neither  do  I,"  said  Harry.  "  They  must  be 
around  the  other  side  of  the  boat-house." 

"  If  they  are  there,"  said  Frank,  "  we  will 
soon  make  them  show  themselves." 

And,  as  he  spoke,  he  seized  a  branch  above 
his  head,  and  shook  it  violently. 

"  Oh,  that's  no  way,"  whispered  Harry,  ex- 
citedly; "you  will  frighten  the — " 

— Sh !  there  they  are !  "  said  Frank. 

And,  as  he  spoke,  the  smugglers  saw  a  boy 
come  cautiously  around  the  corner  of  the  boat- 
house.  He  gazed  impatiently  toward  the  wil- 
lows, and  uttered  a  low  whistle. 

Frank  instantly  answered  it,  and  the  boy 
came  down  the  bank,  and  said,  in  a  low  voice, 

"  Come  out  here,  Jim.  I  thought  you  would 
never  relieve  us.  No  signs  of  the  smugglers 
yet " 

"  You  must  be  mistaken,"  said  Frank, 
springing  lightly  from  his  concealment;  and, 
before  the  coast-guard  could  recover  from  his 
surprise,  he  found  himself  a  prisoner. 

"  Don't    make    any    noise,"    said    Frank. 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      137 

"Where's  your  companion?  There  must  be 
two  of  you." 

"  Yes,  there  is  another  one,"  answered  the 
prisoner.  "  Ned  Wilbur  is  around  the  other 
side  of  the  boat-house." 

"  Well,  Ben,"  said  Frank  "  if  you  will  watch 
this  fellow,  Harry  and  I  will  see  what  we  can 
do  for  Ned." 

So  saying,  he  went  carefully  around  one  side 
of  the  boat-house,  and  Harry  disappeared 
around  the  other.  Frank  reached  the  end  of 
the  house  first,  and  discovered  the  coast-guard 
standing  in  the  door-way,  as  motionless  as  a 
statue.  He  was  waiting  for  Harry  to  make 
his  appearance  at  the  opposite  end,  when  the 
sentinel  suddenly  uttered  an  ejaculation  of 
surprise,  and  bounded  up  the  bank;  but,  just 
as  he  reached  the  top,  a  dark  form,  which 
seemed  to  rise  out  of  the  ground,  clasped  the 
fleeting  coast-guard  in  its  arms,  and  a  voice, 
which  Frank  recognized  as  William  Johnson's, 
said  in  a  low  whisper, 

"  You're  my  prisoner ! " 


138      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

"  It's  just  my  luck,"  said  the  crest-fallen  sen- 
tinel, bitterly  as  William  led  him  down  the 
bank.  "  I  told  Charley  Sheldon  that  we  would 
be  sure  to  be  gobbled  up  if  we  were  stationed 
here.  Now,  I  suppose,  you  want  me  to  tell  all 
our  plans." 

"  No,  we  don't,"  answered  Harry ; "  we  know 
all  your  plans  already." 

By  this  time  the  smugglers  had  all  come  in, 
and,  holding  fast  to  their  captives,  they  held  a 
consultation,  in  which  it  was  decided  that  it 
would  be  best  to  reconnoiter  before  attempting 
to  leave  the  creek.  It  was  very  dark,  and  not  a 
sound  broke  the  stillness  of  the  night ;  but  the 
smugglers  were  too  cunning  to  believe  that  the 
coast  was  clear,  for  they  knew  that  the  enemy 
would  resort  to  every  possible  means  to  effect 
their  capture. 

Three  of  the  smugglers  were  directed  to  get 
into  Mr.  Butler's  yawl,  taking  one  of  the  pris- 
oners with  them,  and  drop  down  to  the  mouth 
of  Glen's  Creek,  and  note  the  position  of  the 
enemy  there;  and  Frank  and  the  other  boys 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      139 

stepped  into  the  skiff,  and  started  up  toward 
Duck's  Creek,  to  ascertain  the  condition  of 
affairs,  taking  Ned  with  them.  They  pulled 
rapidly,  but  noiselessly,  along,  and  had  almost 
reached  the  creek,  when  a  strong,  cheery  voice, 
directly  before  them,  called  out, 

"Boat  ahoy!" 

"  There,"  whispered  Harry,  "  we're  dis- 
covered." 

"  No,  I  guess  not,"  said  Frank.  "  Ned,"  he 
continued,  turning  to  the  prisoner,  "  you  mnst 
talk  for  us.  Answer  them." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir,"  shouted  Ned,  in  reply  to  the 
hail. 

"What  boat  is  that?" 

"  Dispatch  boat,"  answered  Ned,  prompted 
by  Frank ;  "  and  we  bring  orders  for  you  to 
pull  down  and  join  the  fleet,  which  is  now 
blockading  the  mouth  of  Glen's  Creek." 

"  All  right,"  answered  the  voice.  "  We've 
been  waiting  an  hour  for  that  order.  This 
playing  police  is  dull  business." 

And  the  smugglers  heard  the  rattling  of  a 


140      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

chain,  as  if  the  anchor  was  being  pulled  up. " 

"Tell  them  to  make  haste,"  whispered 
Frank. 

"  Come,  hurry  up  there  now,"  shouted  Ned. 

"  Ay,  ay,"  was  the  answer. 

And,  in  a  few  moments,  the  Sampson,  pro- 
pelled by  four  oars,  shot  past  them,  on  her 
way  down  the  creek. 

That's  what  I  call  pretty  well  done,"  said 
Ben,  as  soon  as  the  coast-guards  were  out  of 
hearing. 

"  I  don't,"  said  Ned.  "  It  goes  against  me  to 
fool  a  fellow  in  that  way  ;  and  my  own  friends, 
too." 

The  smugglers  now  continued  on  their  way, 
and  a  few  strong  pulls  brought  them  within  a 
short  distance  of  the  mouth  of  Duck's  creek  ; 
and  Frank,  who  was  at  the  helm,  turned  the 
boat's  head  towards  the  shore,  and,  as  soon  as 
her  keel  touched  the  bottom,  he  and  Ben 
sprang  out,  leaving  Harry  to  watch  the  pris- 
oner. 

They  had  landed  upon  Reynard's  Island,  and 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      141 

immediately  started  for  the  opposite  side,  to 
learn,  if  possible,  what  was  going  on  upon  the 
river.  Every  thing  was  as  silent  as  midnight ; 
and  the  smugglers  were  obliged  to  move  very 
carefully,  for  the  slightest  sound — the  snap- 
ping of  a  twig  or  the  rustling  of  a  leaf — could 
be  heard  at  a  long  distance.  After  proceeding 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  this  cautious  manner, 
they  reached  the  opposite  side  of  the  island. 

"  Well,"  said  Ben,  after  trying  in  vain  to 
peer  through  the  darkness,  "  how  do  matters 
stand?  I  wonder  if  we  could  not  have  slipped 
by  the  police,  and  reached  the  island,  before 
they  knew  it?  " 

"  No,  sir,"  said  Frank,  "  not  by  a  good  deal. 
We  should  certainly  have  been  captured." 

"  How  do  you  know?    I  can't  see  any  thing." 

"Neither  can  I;  but  listen,  and  you  will 
hear  something.  They  are  taking  their  posi- 
tions/* 

The  boys  remained  silent,  and  the  sup- 
pressed murmur  of  voices,  the  strokes  of  muf- 
fled oars,  and,  now  and  then,  a  gentle  splash- 


142      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

ing  in  the  water,  as  of  an  anchor  dropped  care- 
fully overboard,  could  be  distinctly  heard. 

"  I  am  still  of  the  opinion,"  said  Ben,  "  that 
we  could  run  the  blockade  before  they  could 
catch  us." 

"  And  I  still  think  that  we  should  get 
caught,"  said  Frank.  "  If  we  should  attempt 
to  hoist  a  sail,  it  could  be  heard  across  the 
river;  besides,  there  is  no  breeze." 

"  Then,  try  the  oars." 

"  They  would  overtake  us  before  we  had 
gone  twenty  rods.  You  must  remember  that 
they  outnumber  us,  six  to  one,  and  could  easily 
tire  us  out,  or  cut  us  off  from  the  island.  Wait 
until  the  breeze  springs  up,  and  then  we  will 
see  what  we  can  do." 

"  Listen,"  whispered  Ben,  suddenly ;  "  some 
of  the  boats  are  coming  down  this  way.  They 
are  sending  a  division  of  the  fleet  to  guard 
Duck's  Creek." 

And  so  it  proved.  The  slow,  measured 
strokes  of  oars  came  nearer  and  nearer,  and, 
finally,  the  tall,  raking  masts  of  three  of  the 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.       143 

swiftest-sailing  boats  in  the  squadron  could 
be  dimly  seen  moving  down  the  river  toward 
the  creek.  As  they  approached,  the  smugglers 
discovered  that  two  boys,  in  a  light  skiff,  led 
the  way,  and  one  of  them,  who  proved  to  be 
Charles  Sheldon,  pointed  out  the  position  he 
wished  each  boat  to  occupy.  The  places  as- 
signed them  were  not  directly  opposite  the 
mouth  of  the  creek,  but  a  little  up  the  river, 
and  about  twenty  feet  from  the  shore;  and 
this,  afterward,  proved  to  be  a  very  favorable 
circumstance  for  the  smugglers. 

"  Now,  boys,"  said  Charles,  after  he  had 
placed  the  little  vessels  to  his  satisfaction, 
"  keep  a  good  look-out  up  the  river." 

"  I  should  think,"  said  the  captain  of  the 
division,  "  that  you  ought  to  have  us  anchor 
directly  in  the  mouth  of  the  creek.  We  shall 
have  a  good  stiff  breeze  before  long,  and  the 
Alert  might  slip  out  at  any  time,  and,  before 
we  could  hoist  a  sail,  she  would  be  half-way 
across  the  river." 

"  I  don't  think  she  will  trouble  vou  clown 


144      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

here,"  said  Charles.  "  Frank  Nelson  would  n't 
be  foolish  enough  to  send  her  out  here,  for 
it's  a  good  quarter  of  a  mile  below  the  foot 
of  the  island;  and,  even  if  she  does  come  out 
here,  and  succeeds  in  getting  by  you,  all  we 
will  have  to  do  will  be  to  send  a  division  down 
to  the  foot  of  the  island  to  meet  her  there,  and 
then  her  capture  is  certain.  Now,  remember, 
keep  an  eye  open  to  every  thing  that  goes  on 
up  the  river.  Never  mind  the  Speedwell  and 
Champion — let  them  go  where  they  please; 
but,  if  you  see  the  Alert,  why,  you  know  what 
to  do." 

And  Charles  and  his  attendant  pulled  back 
up  the  river. 

"  Now,  Ben,'*  said  Frank,  "  we've  heard 
enough  to  know  that  we  have  fooled  them 
nicely;  so  let's  go  back." 

This,  however,  was  no  easy  undertaking. 
The  way  to  their  boat  lay  through  bushes 
that  could  scarcely  be  penetrated,  even  in  the 
day-time.  The  coast-guards  were  anchored 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      145 

close  by  the  shore,  and  the  slightest  noise 
would  arouse  their  suspicions. 

Frank  led  the  way  on  his  hands  and  knees, 
carefully  choosing  his  ground,  and  they,  at 
length,  succeeded  in  reaching  their  boat,  with- 
out disturbing  the  coast-guards. 

A  few  moments'  pulling  brought  them  along- 
side Mr.  Butler's  wharf,  where  they  found  the 
others  waiting  for  them. 

"  What  news? "  inquired  George,  as  they 
clambered  up  out  of  the  boat. 

Frank  explained,  in  a  few  words,  the  posi- 
tion of  the  squadron  at  the  mouth  of  Duck's 
Creek,  as  well  as  the  conversation  they  had 
overheard,  and  also  inquired  of  George  the 
result  of  his  observations. 

"  It  was  too  dark  to  see  much,"  he  an- 
swered ;  "  but  we  could  plainly  hear  them  tak- 
ing their  positions  opposite  the  mouth  of  the 
creek.  It  will  be  hard  work  to  get  through 
them,  I  tell  you." 

"  How  are  you  going  to  work  it,  Frank?  " 
inquired  Ben. 


146      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

"  I'll  tell  you  what  I  thought  of  doing,"  he 
answered.  "  By  the  way  Charley  Sheldon 
spoke,  I  should  judge  that  he  expects  to  see 
the  Alert  start  from  Glen's  Creek ;  so,  I  think, 
it  would  be  a  good  plan,  as  soon  as  the  breeze 
springs  up,  to  have  the  Champion  and  Alert 
'drop  down  Duck's  Creek,  and  let  the  former 
run  out  and  start  for  the  island.  The  coast- 
guards will  not  give  chase,  of  course,  but  will 
think  it  is  only  a  ruse  of  ours  to  make  them 
believe  that  the  Alert  is  going  to  start  from 
the  same  place,  and  that  will  make  them 
watch  Glen's  Creek  closer  than  ever,  and 
the  Alert  will  have  a  chance  to  get  a  good 
start  before  they  can  hoist  their  sails,  and, 
while  they  are  after  her,  Ben  and  I  will  run 
out  and  land  our  goods." 

"  That's  the  way  to  do  it,"  said  William, 
approvingly.     "  We    will    fool  them    so  com- 
pletely that  they  will  not   want  to  hear  of 
smugglers  again  for  six  months." 
,  "  Let's  go  and  get  some  breakfast,"  iaid 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      147 

George.  "  Never  go  to  work  on  an  empty 
stomach,  you  know." 

"  Yes,  come  on,"  said  Harry,  taking  each 
of  the  captive  coast-guards  by  the  arm ;  "  we 
never  feed  our  prisoners  on  half  rations." 

After  "  stowing  away "  a  large  supply  of 
bread  and  milk,  the  smugglers,  in  company 
with  their  prisoners,  again  repaired  to  the 
boat-house.  By  this  time  it  was  five  o'clock, 
and  the  breeze  which  the  coast-guards  had 
predicted  began  to  spring  up,  and  promised 
to  freshen  into  a  capital  "  sailing  wind." 

In  a  few  moments  the  real  provisions  were 
all  packed  away,  as  closely  as  possible,  in  the 
Speedwell,  and  the  load  was  as  large  as  she 
could  well  carry,  there  being  scarcely  room 
enough  left  for  the  action  of  the  sails. 

"  I  guess  we  are  all  ready  now,"  said  Frank ; 
"  so,  Bill,  you  might  as  well  drop  down  Duck's 
Creek  and  sail  out." 

"  All  right,"  answered  William. 

And  he  and  Thomas  clambered  down  into 
the  boat,  with  the  prisoners,  the  sails  were 


148      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

hoisted,  and  the  Champion  was  soon  hidden 
from  sight  by  the  tall  reeds  and  bushes  that 
lined  the  banks  of  the  creek. 

"  Now,  Harry,"  continued  Frank,  "  Ben  and 
I  will  take  our  boat  and  hide  behind  the  point, 
and,  in  about  five  minutes,  you  may  follow 
the  Champion." 

"  Now,  make  use  of  your  best  seamanship," 
said  Ben.  "  You  can  lead  them  a  long  chase, 
if  you  try." 

"  I  assure  you  that  we  will  do  our  best," 
said  George. 

The  Speedwell's  sails  were  hoisted,  and 
Frank  took  his  seat  at  the  helm,  while  Ben 
placed  himself  so  as  to  assist  in  managing  the 
sails.  Brave  took  his  usual  station  in  the  bow, 
and  they  moved  slowly  down  the  creek. 

The  point  of  which  Frank  had  spoken  was 
a  long,  low  neck  of  land,  covered  with  trees, 
which  completely  concealed  the  mouth  of 
Glen's  Creek.  In  a  few  moments  they  reached 
this  point,  and  the  Speedwell's  bow  ran  high 
upon  the  sand,  and  the  boys  sprang  out,  and 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      149 

hurried  over  to  the  other  side  of  the  point,  tc 
watch  the  proceedings  on  the  river,  while 
Brave,  at  his  master's  command,  remained  in 
the  boalt.  Concealing  themselves  behind  a 
large  log,  they  waited  impatiently  for  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  Champion. 

The  vessels  of  the  squadrons,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  division  stationed  at  the  foot  of 
Reynard's  Island,  were  anchored  in  a  semi- 
circle directly  before  the  mouth  of  Glen's 
Creek,  from  which  it  was  expected  that  the 
Alert  would  start.  Each  sloop  was  manned 
by  two  boys,  and  the  schooners  had  a  crew  of 
four.  Every  one  stood  at  his  post,  and  was 
ready  to  move  at  the  word. 

"  They  meant  to  be  ready  for  us,  didn't 
they?"  asked  Frank.  "I  wonder  if  they 
thought  we  would  be  foolish  enough  to  send 
the  Alert  out  of  this  creek,  in  the  face  of  all 
those  boats?  " 

"  I  don't  know,"  answered  Ben.  "  I  sup- 
pose they  thought —  See  there!  there  goes 
the  Champion." 


150      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

Frank  looked  down  the  river,  and  saw  that 
the  staunch  little  sloop  had  already  run  the 
blockade,  and  was  standing  boldly  toward  the 
island.  Her  appearance  was  . sudden  and 
wholly  unexpected,  and  several  of  the  coast- 
guards sprang  to  their  feet,  and  a  dozen  sails 
were  half-way  up  the  mast  in  a  twinkling;  but, 
as  soon  as  they  discovered  that  it  was  not  the 
Alert,  they  quickly  returned  to  their  posts, 
and,  in  a  moment,  all  the  bustle  and  confu- 
sion was  over. 

The  eye  of  every  boy  in  the  squadron  was 
now  directed  toward  Glen's  Creek,  expecting, 
every  moment,  to  see  the  schooner  round  the 
point. 

The  Champion  had  accomplished,  perhaps, 
half  the  distance  across  the  river,  when  the 
Alert  suddenly  shot  from  Duck's  Creek,  and, 
hauling  around  before  the  wind,  ran  in  be- 
tween two  of  the  blockading  fleet,  so  close  as 
to  almost  graze  them,  and  stood  toward  the 
foot  of  the  island. 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      151 

As  soon  as  the  coast-guards  could  recover 
from  their  surprise,  Charles  shouted, 

"  Uup  anchor — quick !  " 

The  next  moment  he  called  out, 

"  Jim,  take  your  division,  and  creep  down 
the  shore  of  the  island,  and  be  ready  to  catch 
her  there,  if  she  gets  away  from  us." 

For  a  few  moments  there  was  a  "  great  hur- 
rying "  among  the  coast-guards.  The  anchors 
were  drawn  up  with  a  jerk,  the  sails  flew  up 
the  maste,  and  the  little  fleet  bore  rapidly 
down  upon  the  smuggler. 

As  soon  as  Frank  saw  that  the  race  had 
fairly  begun,  he  exclaimed, 

"  Now's  our  time,  Ben !  " 

They  ran  back  to  their  boat,  and  hastily 
shoved  from  the  shore,  and  the  Speedwell, 
making  good  her  name,  was  soon  plowing  the 
river,  in  the  direction  of  the  island. 

So  intent  were  the  coast-guards  upon  catch- 
ing the  Alert,  that  they  thought  of  nothing 
else;  and  Frank  rounded  the  head  of  the  is- 
land, and  landed,  without  being  discovered. 


1 5 2      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

Meanwhile,  George  and  Harry  were  leading 
their  pursuers  a  long  chase.  Under  their  skill- 
ful management — standing  first  on  one  tack 
and  then  on  the  other — they  had  succeeded  in 
outmaneuvering  several  of  the  swiftest-sailing 
vessels  in  the  squadron. 

Two  or  three  small  sloops  had  succeeded  in 
getting  between  the  Alert  and  the  island ;  but 
Harry,  who  was  at  the  helm,  did  not  deem 
them  worthy  a  moment's  notice.  He  was  con- 
fident that  his  schooner,  by  their  superior  sail- 
ing qualities,  would  soon  leave  these  behind 
also. 

The  smugglers  began  to  grow  jubilant  over 
their  success,  and  George  called  out, 

"  Where  are  your  men-o'-war  now?  Throw 
us  a  line,  and  we'll  tow  you." 

"  Come  on,  you  coast-guards,"  chimed  in 
Harry.  "  You  will  never  catch  us,  at  this 
rate." 

If  the  smugglers  had  succeeded  in  eluding 
their  pursuers,  it  would,  indeed,  have  been  an 
achievement  worth  boasting  of;  but  they  had 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      153 

to  deal  with  those  who  were  as  cunning  and 
skillful  as  themselves.  Charles  was  not  to  be 
beaten  so  easily;  and,  although  he  said  noth- 
ing, the  smugglers  saw  him  smile  and  shake 
his  head,  as  if  he  were  certain  that  he  could 
yet  win  the  day. 

"  Can  you  discover  any  fast  boats  ahead  of 
us,  George? "  inquired  Harry. 

George  rose  to  his  feet  to  take  a  survey  of 
the  squadron,  and  answered. 

"  No,  there  are  only  two  or  three  little  things 
standing  across  our  bows,  but  we'll  soon — 
We're  caught,  sure  as  shooting !  "  he  suddenly 
exclaimed,  changing  his  tone.  "  Bring  her 
around  before  the  wind — quick!  There's  the 
North  Star,  Sunshine,  and  Sampson.  We 
might  as  well  haul  down  the  sails." 

James  Porter's  division,  which  had  been 
"  laying  to  "  at  the  foot  of  Glen's  Island,  now 
bore  down  upon  the  Alert,  and  George  had 
just  discovered  them;  and  they  were  coming 
on  in  such  a  manner  that  escape  was  impos- 
sible. 


154      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

"  Yes,"  answered  Harry,  as  soon  as  he  had 
noted  the  positions  of  the  approaching  ves- 
sels, "  we  are  caught.  We  began  to  brag  too 
soon." 

"  Well,  we  don't  lose  any  thing,"  said 
George.  "  Frank  has  landed  the  provisions 
long  before  this." 

"  I  know  it ;  but  still  I  wish  we  could  have 
beaten  them." 

"What  do  you  think  now,  Harry?"  asked 
Charles,  whose  boat  was  following  close  in 
the  wake  of  the  Alert. 

"  I  think  we  are  done  for." 

And,  as  Harry  "  luffed  in  the  wind,"  George 
drew  down  the  sails,  and  gave  up  the 
struggle. 

In  a  moment  the  little  fleet  closed  about 
the  smuggler,  and,  to  prevent  accident,  the 
sails  were  all  hauled  down,  and  the  boats  lay 
motionless  on  the  water. 

"  I  tell  you,"  said  Charles,  "  you  fellows 
worked  it  pretty  well." 

"  Yes,"  answered  George,  as  if  a  little  crest- 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      155 

fallen  at  their  defeat  "  We  did  the  best  we 
could." 

"  I  thought  we  had  more  provisions  than 
this,"  said  one  of  the  captains  of  the  squadron, 
pulling  his  boat  alongside  of  the  Alert.  "  I 
didn't  think  you  could  get  them  all  in  here." 

And  he  pulled  up  the  covering,  and  looked 
under  it. 

"  They  are  packed  in  tight,  you  see,"  said 
Harry,  who  wished  to  keep  up  the  "  sell,"  as 
he  called  it,  as  long  as  possible. 

"  What  are  in  these  bags?  "  inquired  one. 

"  Shavings,"  answered  George.  "  We 
thought  we  might  want  to  kindle  a  fire  for 
something." 

"  I  say,  George,"  said  James  Porter,  stand- 
ing up  in  his  boat  to  get  a  good  view  of  the 
things  in  the  Alert.  "  I  wish  you  would  feel 
in  my  basket,  and  get  a  cup  that  is  in  there, 
and  pass  it  over  this  way.  I'm  thirsty.  I  was 
so  excited,"  he  continued,  taking  off  his  hat 
and  wiping  the  perspiration  from  his  forehead, 
"  that  I  sweat  as  if  I  had  been  dumped  in  the 
river.  There  isn't  a  dry  rag  on  me." 


156      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

"Which  is  your  basket?"  inquired  Harry, 
struggling  hard  to  suppress  a  laugh. 

"  It's  a  brown  basket,  with  a  white  cover," 
answered  James. 

George  and  Harry  were  too  full  of  laughter 
to  trust  themselves  to  speak;  but  Charles  ex- 
claimed, as  he  drew  aside  the  covering, 

"  There's  no  brown  basket  here." 

"  There  ought  to  be,"  said  one  of  the  coast- 
guards ;  "  I  brought  my  things  in  a  brown 
basket." 

"  So  did  I,"  exclaimed  another. 

"  There's  a  cheat  somewhere,"  said  James. 

"  You  haven't  done  as  you  agreed,"  said 
Charles.  "  You  promised  to  carry  all  the 
things  in  one  boat." 

"  Yes,  that's  what  you  agreed  to  do,"  shouted 
several. 

"  And  we've  kept  our  promise,"  said  Harry. 

"Then,  where's  my  basket?"  inquired  one 
of  the  boys,  who  had  failed  to  discover  it 
among  the  things  in  the  Alert. 

"  I'll  bet  the  Champion  carried  some  of  the 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      157 

provisions  over,"  said  another,  "  for  there  are 
not  half  of  them  here." 

"  No,  the  Champion  didn't  have  a  thing  in 
her,"  said  a  third.  "  She  passed  so  close  to 
my  boat,  that  I  could  have  jumped  into  her, 
and  I  took  particular  pains  to  see  that  she 
was  empty." 

"  Well,  here  are  the  things  that  I  brought 
at  any  rate,"  said  Charles,  who  had  just  caught 
sight  of  the  bag  which  contained,  as  he  sup- 
posed, his  lemons.  "  My  goodness !  "  he  con- 
tinued, as  he  lifted  them  out  of  the  boat,  "  how 
heavy  they  are !  " 

And  he  began  to  untie  the  bag,  and  soon  dis- 
closed to  the  view  of  the  coast-guards,  not  the 
lemons,  but  almost  half  a  peck  of  smooth, 
round  stones. 

George  and  Harry,  who  could  contain  them- 
selves no  longer,  rolled  on  the  bottom  of  the 
boat,  convulsed  with  laughter;  and  several 
read  hands  tore  off  the  coverings  of  the  bas- 
kets and  pails,  and  they  were  found  to  be 
empty. 


158      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

A  more  astonished  set  of  boys  one  never 
saw;  and,  as  soon  as  they  could  speak,  they 
burst  out  with  a  volley  of  ejaculations  that 
will  hardly  bear  repetition. 

"  We've  been  chasing  the  wrong  boat,"  said 
one. 

"  Yes,"  answered  another,  "  and  I  knew  it 
would  be  so.  That  Frank  Nelson  is  too  much 
of  a  Yankee  for  us." 

"  The  Speedwell— the  Speedwell ! "  shouted 
another;  "keep  a  good  look-out  for  her." 

"  Oh,  you're  too  late,"  said  Harry,  with  a 
laugh;  "the  provisions  were  landed  long 
ago." 

"  I  don't  believe  it.  I  didn't  see  any  thing 
of  her." 

"  Of  course  you  didn't,"  said  Charles ;  "  you 
were  too  intent  on  catching  the  Alert.  Boys," 
he  continued,  "  we're  fairly  beaten.  Let's 
start  for  the  island." 

The  coast-guards  silently  obeyed,  and  the 
smugglers  refrained  from  making  any  remarks, 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.       159 

for  they  saw  that  the  squadron's  crew  took 
their  defeat  sorely  to  heart. 

In  a  few  moment's  the  little  fleet  rounded 
the  foot  of  the  island,  and  the  boys  discovered 
the  Champion  and  Speedwell,  lying  with  their 
bows  high  upon  the  sand,  and  their  crews  were 
busy  carrying  the  provisions  under  the  shade 
of  a  large  oak,  that  stood  near  the  water's 
edge. 

As  soon  as  the  last  vessel  came  in  sight,  the 
smugglers  on  shore  greeted  them  with  three 
hearty  cheers,  which  George  and  Harry  an- 
swered with  a  will,  but  the  coast-guards  re- 
mained silent. 

In  a  few  moments  they  had  all  landed,  and 
the  smugglers  joined  their  companions;  and 
Charles  took  off  his  hat,  and  said  to  the  coast- 
guards, 

"  Boys,  I  want  to  have  just  one  word  with 
you.  We  have  been  beaten,"  he  continued,  as 
they  gathered  silently  about  him,  "  completely 
outwitted;  but  it  was  fairly  done.  We  took 
all  the  advantage  of  the  smugglers  that  we 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

coulcL  but  they  have  beaten  us  at  our  own 
game.  I  feel  as  cheap  as  any  of  you  do,  but  it 
can't  be  helped  now,  and  there's  no  use  of  hav- 
ing unpleasant  feelings  about  it,  for  that 
would  spoil  a  good  day's  sport.  If  we  didn't 
catch  them,  we  did  our  best,  and  we  had  a 
good,  exciting  race — one  that  I  wouldn't  have 
missed  for  a  good  deal.  Now,  boys,  show  that 
you  appreciate  the  good  trick  that  has  been 
played  on  us,  by  giving  the  smugglers  three 
hearty  cheers." 

This  little  speech — showing  Charles  to  be  a 
boy  of  good  feeling — had  the  effect  of  convic- 
ing  the  coast-guards  that  to  manifest  any  ill- 
will  at  their  defeat  would  be  both  unkind  and 
selfish,  and  the  cheer  that  lose  from  forty 
strong  lungs  was  almost  deafening.  The  Smug- 
glers, who  had  heard  what  Charles  had  said, 
cheered  lustily,  in  turn,  for  the  coast-guards, 
and  instantly  every  unkind  feeling  vanished. 
The  coast-guards  readily  entered  into  conver- 
sation with  the  smugglers,  and  the  latter  ex- 
plained the  trick  of  which  they  had  made  use, 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      161 

X 

as  well  as  the  manner  in  which  the  capture 
of  the  prisoners  was  effected,  and  the  ad- 
venture with  the  police-boat ;  and,  although  the 
coast-guards  were  provoked  at  themselves  for 
"not  having  more  sense,"  as  they  termed  it, 
they  could  not  refrain  from  joining  in  a  hearty 
laugh. 

By  this  time  the  refreshments  had  all  been 
carried  under  the  tree  of  which  we  have 
spoken,  where  there  was  a  smooth  grass-plat, 
which  made  a  nice  place  to  set  the  table. 

The  boys  had  spent  some  time  relating 
various  incidents  that  had  occurred  during  the 
chase,  when  Ben  suddenly  inquired, 

"  Well,  boys,  what's  to  be  the  order  of  the 
day?  You  know  that  we  came  over  here  to 
enjoy  ourselves,  and  we  had  better  be  about 
it." 

"  I  think,"  said  Charles,  "  that  it  would  be  a 
good  plan  to  appoint  a  committee  to  arrange 
those  eatables.  We  came  away  without  our 
breakfast,  and  I,  for  one,  feel  hungry." 

"  There's  where  we  had  the  advantage  of 


1 62      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

you,"  said  Thomas.  "  While  you  were  hurry- 
ing around,  and  taking  your  positions,  we 
were  eating  our  breakfast.  You  see,  we  took 
matters  easy." 

"And  beat  us,  after  all,"  said  one  of  the 
coast-guards ;  "  it's  too  bad.  But  let's  have 
that  committee  appointed." 

A  dozen  boys  were  speedily  chosen  to  set  the 
table,  and  the  others,  catching  up  all  the  empty 
pails  and  baskets  they  could  find,  scattered 
over  the  island  in  search  of  strawberries. 

In  about  an  hour  they  met  again  under  the 
tree,  and  found  the  refreshments  all  ready 
for  them,  and  they  fell  to  work  in  earnest.  So 
full  were  they  of  their  sport,  that  it  took  them 
two  hours  to  eat  their  dinner,  as  they  had  said 
they  had  come  to  enjoy  themselves,  and  felt 
in  duty  bound  to  eat  all  their  baskets  con- 
tained. 

After  dinner,  one  of  the  smugglers  proposed 
to  go  squirrel-hunting;  but  many  of  the  coast- 
guards had  passed  the  preceding  night  with- 
out any  sleep,  and,  to  use  their  own  expres- 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      163 

sion,  they  "  didn't  feel  like  it ; "  so  this  project 
was  abandoned,  and  the  boys  lay  on  the 
grass,  under  the  tree,  telling  stories,  until 
almost  three  o'clock,  and  then  began  to  get 
ready  to  start  for  home. 


164      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 


CHAPTER  X. 

A  QUEER  COUSIN. 

As  every  one  knows,  it  would  be  almost  an 
impossibility  for  sixteen  sail-boats  to  go  any- 
where in  company  without  trying  their  speed, 

i 

especially  if  they  were  sailed  by  boys.  When 
our  heroes  stepped  into  their  vessels,  each 
skipper  made  up  his  mind  that  his  boat  must 
be  the  first  one  to  touch  the  opposite  shore. 
Not  a  word  was  said  about  a  race,  but  every 
one  knew  that  one  would  be  sure  to  come  off. 
Every  thing  was  done  in  a  hurry,  and  the  little 
vessels  were  all  afloat  in  a  moment.  They 
were  on  the  leeward  side  of  the  island — that 
is,  the  side  from  the  wind — and  they  would  be 
obliged  to  get  around  to  the  opposite  side  be- 
fore they  could  use  their  sails. 

The  coast-guards  shoved  their  boats  out  into 
the  current,  and  allowed  themselves  to  float 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      165 

down  toward  the  foot  of  the  island,  thinking 
that  course  easier  than  pulling,  against  the 
current,  up  to  the  head  of  the  island. 

Frank  noticed  this  movement,  and  said,  in 
a  low  voice,  to  the  smugglers, 

"  Don't  follow  them,  boys.  They  will  find 
themselves  becalmed  in  less  than  a  quarter 
of  an  hour.  The  breeze  is  dying  away.  If  you 
want  to  beat  them,  hoist  your  sails,  and  get 
o  your  oars,  and  row  up  to  the  head  of  the 
island;  we  can  reach  it  before  they  reach  the 
foot,  and,  besides,  the  current  will  carry  them 
further  down  the  river  than  they  want  to  go." 

The  smugglers  did  as  Frank  had  directed; 
and,  as  they  moved  from  the  shore,  and  turned 
up  the  river,  one  of  the  coast-guards  called 
out, 

"Where  are  you  fellows  going?" 

"  Home,"  answered  Ben. 

"  You  are  taking  the  longest  and  hardest 
way." 

"  The  longest  way  around  is  the  nearest 
way  home,  you  know,"  answered  William. 


1 66      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

"  I  don't  believe  it  is,  in  this  instance/' 
said  James  Porter.  "  Let's  see  who  will  be 
at  the  long  dock  first." 

"  All  right,"  answered  the  smugglers. 

And  they  disappeared  behind  a  high  wooded 
promontory  of  the  island. 

It  was  hard  work,  pulling  against  a  current 
that  ran  four  miles  an  hour,  but  they  were 
accustomed  to  it,  and  the  thought  of  again 
beating  the  coast-guards  gave  strength  to  their 
arms. 

In  a  few  moments  a  sudden  filling  of  the 
sails  announced  that  they  had  caught  the 
breeze.  The  oars  were  drawn  in,  and  every 
sheet  hauled  taut,  and,  when  they  rounded 
the  head  of  the  island,  not  one  of  the  squadron 
was  in  sight. 

"  I  expected,"  said  Harry,  speaking  in  a 
loud  voice,  so  that  the  others  could  hear,  "  that 
they  would  feel  the  wind  long  before  this." 

"  Even  if  they  had,"  answered  Frank,  "  we 
could  have  beaten  them  easily  enough.  You 
see,  when  they  come  around  the  foot  of  the 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      167 

island,  they  \\ill  be  some  distance  below  the 
long  dock,  and  the  current  will  carry  them 
still  further  down,  while  we  are  above  it, 
and  can  sail  right  down  to  it.  Here  they 
come ! " 

The  boys  looked  down  the  river,  and  saw 
the  men-o'-war  rapidly  following  each  other 
around  the  foot  of  the  island. 

"  I  guess  they  have  discovered  their  mis- 
take before  this  time,"  said  William.  "  Now," 
he  continued,  as  he  drew  his  mainsail  down  a 
little  closer,  "  the  Champon  is  going  to  be  the 
first  to  sail  into  the  creek." 

"  That's  the  game,  is  it?"  said  Frank. 
"  Ben,  perch  yourself  up  on  the  windward 
side,  and  we'll  see  which  is  the  best  boat." 

Ben  did  as  he  was  desired,  and  the  little 
vessels  increased  their  speed,  and  bounded 
over  the  gentle  swells  as  if  some  of  their  crew's 
spirit  had  been  infused  into  them.  They  had 
started  nearly  even — the  Alert  and  Champion 
being  a  little  in  advance  of  the  Speedwell — and 
the  bovs  knew  that  the  race  was  to  be  a  fair 


1 68      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

trial  of  the  speed  of  their  boats.  The  Alert 
and  Speedwell  had  never  been  "  matched " 
before,  and  the  boys  were  anxious  to  learn 
their  comparative  speed.  The  former  was  the 
"  champion  "  boat  of  the  village,  and  Harry 
and  George  were  confident  that  Frank's  "  tub  v 
as  they  jokingly  called  it,  would  soon  be  dis- 
tanced Frank  thought  so,  too;  but  the  reputa- 
tion of  owning  the  swiftest  boat  in  the  village 
was  well  worth  trying  for,  and  he  determined 
to  do  his  best. 

Since  his  race  with  the  Champion,  he  had 
made  larger  sails  for  his  boat,  and  added  a 
flying-jib  and  a  gaff-topsail,  and  he  found  that 
her  speed  was  almost  doubled. 

The  champion  soon  fell  behind,  and  the 
two  rival  boats  were  left  to  finish  the  race, 
which,  for  a  long  time,  seemed  undecided. 
But,  at  length,  the  Speedwell,  with  her  strong 
mast  groaning  and  creaking  under  the  weight 
of  the  heavy  canvas,  began  to  gain  steadily, 
and  soon  passed  the  Alert.  Ten  minutes'  run 
brought  them  across  the  river;  and  when 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.       169 

Frank,  proud  of  the  victory  he  had  gained, 
rounded  the  long  dock,  the  Alert  was  full  four 
rods  behind. 

The  breeze  was  rapidly  dying  away,  and  not 
one  of  the  coast-guards  had  yet  reached  the 
shore.  Some  of  them  had  been  carried  almost 
a  mile  below  the  creek,  and  lay  with  the  sails 
idly  flapping  against  the  masts. 

Frank  and  Ben  sailed  slowly  along*  up  the 
creek,  and,  when  the  arrived  at  the  end  of 
the  dock,  the  Speedwell  was  "  made  fast,"  and 
the  boys  started  to  get  their  mail. 

As  they  entered  the  post-office ,  Frank 
stepped  up  to  the  "  pigeon-hole,"  and  the  post- 
master handed  him  two  letters;  one  was  ad- 
dressed to  his  mother,  and  the  other  bore  his 
own  name,  written  in  a  full,  round,  school- 
boy's hand. 

"  Ben,"  he  exclaimed,  as  he  broke  the  seal, 
"  I've  got  a  letter  from  Archie.  I  wrote  to 
him  a  month  ago ;  I  should  think  it  was  about 
time  to  get  an  answer." 

"  See  if  he  says  any  thing  about  getting  a 


170      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

letter  from  rae,"  said  Ben.    "  I  have  n't  heard 
from  him  in  a  long  time." 

Before  proceeding  further,  it  may  not  be 
improper  to  say  a  word  about  Archie  Winters. 
He  was,  as  we  have  already  said,  Frank's 
cousin,  and  lived  in  the  city  of  Portland.  He  \ 
was  just  Frank's  age,  and,  like  him,  was  kind 
and  generous;  but  he  was  not  the  boy  for 
books.  When  in  school,  he  was  an  obedient 
and  industrious  pupil,  and  learned  very  read- 
ily; but,  when  four  o'clock  came,  he  was  the 
first  to  lay  aside  his  books.  He  was  very  fond 
of  rural  sports,  and,  for  a  city  boy,  was  a  very 
expert  hunter ;  he  even  considered  himself  able 
to  compete  with  Frank.  He  was  also  passion- 
ately fond  of  pets,  and,  if  he  could  have  had 
his  own  way,  he  would  have  possessed  every 
cat  and  dog  in  the  city.  His  father  was  a 
wealthy  ship-bu'lder,  and  Archie  was  an  only 
child.  But  he  was  not,  as  is  generally  the  case, 
spoiled  by  indulgence;  on  the  contrary,  his 
parents  always  required  his  prompt  and  cheer- 
ful obedience,  and,  when  out  of  their  sight, 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      171 

Archie  was  very  careful  to  do  nothing  of 
which  he  thought  his  parents  would  not  ap- 
prove. Every  vacation  he  paid  a  visit  to  hi.s 
cousin,  and  sometimes  stayed  until  late  in  the 
winter,  to  engage  ia  his  favorite  sport  He 
was  well  known  to  the  village  boys,  among 
whom  his  easy  and  obliging  manners  had  wron 
many  a  steadfast  friend. 

But  let  us  now  return  to  the  letter,  which 

ran  as  follows: 

PORTLAND,  June  28, 18—. 

DEAR  COUSIN  :  Your  letter  of  the  16th  of  last  month  was 
duly  received,  and,  I  suppose,  you  think  it  is  about  time  for 
me  to  answer  it.  They  say  that  a  person  who  is  good  at 
making  excuses  is  good  for  nothing  else  ;  but,  I  suppose,  you 
will  expect  some  apology  for  my  seeming  neglect.  You  per- 
haps remember  hearing  your  mother  speak  of  James  Sher- 
man, a  cousin  whom  we  had  never  seen.  About  two  weeks 
since,  father  received  a  letter  from  his  mother,  stating  that 
she  and  James  would  be  at  our  house  in  about  three  days. 
Well,  they  came  agreeably  to  notice,  and  I  have  had  the 
pleasure  of  entertaining  our  cousin  ever  since.  I  have  had  to 
pilot  him  around,  and  show  him  all  the  sights,  and  I  have  had 
time  for  nothing  else. 

I  will  not  tell  you  what  sort  of  a  fellow  he  is  ;  I  will  leave 
you  to  judge  of  his  general  character,  etc.  He  and  his  mother 
are  now  on  their  way  to  Lawrence,  arid  they  expect  to  be  at 
your  house  about  the  6th  (July).  They  intend  to  remain  about 
two  weeks.  When  I  saw  them  getting  into  the  train,  and 
knew  that  in  a  few  days  they  would  be  with  you,  I  wanted 
very  much  to  accompany  them.  But  mother  says  one  noisy 
boy  in  the  house  is  sufficient.  (I  wonder  whether  she  means 


172      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

you  or  James  !)  But  as  soon  as  they  have  ended  their  visit,  if 
nothing  happens,  you  may  expect  to  see  our  family  landing 
from  the  Julia  Burton,  some  fine  morning.  I  have  been  pent 
up  in  the  city  now  almost  six  months  and  I  am  impatient  to 
get  in'to  the  country  again — especially  among  the  trout-streams 
about  your  quiet  little  village. 

I  have  often  thought  of  the  sport  we  had  the  day  we  went 
up  to  Dungeon  Brook.  I  know  it  rained  hard,  but  the  string 
of  trout  we  caught  beat  anything  of  the  kind  I  ever  happened 
to  see. 

But  I've  got  some  good  news  for  you.  Father  has  decided 
to  spend  part  of  the  winter  at  Uncle  Joe's,  and  he  promises  to 
take  you  and  me  with  him  ;  so  you  can  begin  to  pack  up  your 
duds  as  soon  as  you  wish. 

That  trout-pole  you  made  for  me  last  winter  met  with  a 
serious  accident  a  few  days  since.  One  of  my  schoolmates 
invited  me  to  go  up  the  river  with  him,  and  try  a  perch-bed 
he  had  accidentally  discovered.  I  had  sent  off  my  heavy  pole 
to  the  painters,  so  I  was  obliged  to  take  my  trout-pole.  I  was 
afraid  that  I  should  break  it,  but  it  behaved  beautifully  for 
about  two  hours,  during  which  time  I  drew  in  sixty  fine  perch 
and  rock  bass — some  of  the  former  weighing  between  one  and 
two  pounds — and  I  began  to  think  that  the  pole  was  too  tough 
to  break.  But  I  was  very  soon  convinced  of  my  mistake,  for, 
as  bad  luck  would  have  it,  I  hooked  on  to  a  black-bass.  I 
thought  I  handled  him  very  carefully,  but,  before  we  could 
land  him,  he  broke  my  pole  in  three  pieces  ;  but  the  line  held, 
and  he  was  soon  floundering  in  the  boat.  He  was  a  fine  fel- 
low— a  regular  "  sockdologer  " — weighing  six  pounds  and  a 
half.  But  I  heartily  wished  him  safe  in  the  bottom  of  the 
river.  I  have  laid  the  pole  away,  and  intend  to  bring  it  to  you 
for  repairs. 

But  it  is  ten  o'clock,  and  father  'suggests  that,  if  I  wish  to 
get  to  the  post-office  before  the  mail  closes,  I  had  "better 
made  tracks."  So  I  must  stop.  Love  to  all. 

Yours  affectionately,  A.  WINTERS. 

P.  S.— Please  tell  Ben  and  Harry  that  I  will  answer  their 
letters  immediately.  A.  W. 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      173 

By  this  time  the  rest  of  the  smugglers  had 
arrived,  and,  as  soon  as  Frank  had  run  his 
eye  over  the  letter,  and  began  to  fold  it  up, 
George  inquired, 

"  Well,  what  does  he  say?  Did  he  receive 
Harry's  letter?  " 

"  Yes,  and  also  one  from  Ben.  He  says  he 
will  answer  them  at  once." 

After  a  few  moments'  conversation,  the 
boys  separated,  and  started  for  home,  express- 
ing themselves  highly  delighted  at  Frank's 
way  of  spending  the  Fourth. 

The  day  on  which  Mrs.  Sherman  and  her 
son  were  expected  at  length  arrived.  As  a 
fine  breeze  was  blowing,  Frank  and  his  sister 
— accompanied,  of  course,  by  Brave — stepped 
into  the  Speedwell,  and  started  to  enjoy  a  sail 
on  the  river. 

It  was  now  the  summer  vacation,  and  the 
boys  were  determined  to  have  plenty  of  recrea- 
tion after  their  long  siege  of  study;  and,  when 
Frank  reached  the  mouth  of  the  creek,  he 
found  the  river  dotted  with  white  sails  as  far 


174      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

as  he  could  see.  Several  of  the  boats  had 
starte.d  on  fishing  excursions,  but  the  majority 
of  them  were  sailing  idly  about,  as  if  nothing 
particular  had  been  determined  on. 

Frank  turned  the  Speedwell's  head  down 
the  river,  and  soon  joined  the  little  fleet.  He 
had  hoisted  every  stitch  of  canvas  his  boat 
could  carry,  and  she  flew  along,  passing  sev- 
eral of  the  swiftest  vessels,  and  finally  en- 
countered the  Alert.  The  race  was  short,  for 
the  Speedwell  easily  passed  her,  and  George 
and  Harry  were  compelled  to  acknowledge 
that,  to  use  their  own  expression,  "  the  Alert 
was  nowhere." 

In  about  two  hours  the  Julia  Burton  was 
seen  rounding  the  point,  and  a  loud,  clear 
whistle  warned  the  villagers  of  her  approach. 
Frank  turned  the  Speedwell  toward  home,  and 
arrived  at  the  wharf  about  ten  minutes  after 
the  steamer  had  landed. 

As  they  sailed  a^long  up  the  creek,  Julia 
suddenly  exclaimed, 

"  I  wonder  who  those  people  are !  " 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.       175 

Frank  turned,  and  saw  a  lady  just  getting 
into  a  carriage,  and  a  boy,  apparently  about 
his  own  age,  stood  by,  giving  orders,  in  a  loud 
voice,  to  the  driver,  about  their  baggage.  Both 
were  dressed  in  the  height  of  fashion,  and 
Frank  knew,  from  the  description  his  aunt  had 
given  his  mother,  that  they  were  the  expected 
visitors. 

As  soon  as  the  boy  had  satisfied  himself  that 
their  baggage  was  safe,  he  continued,  in  a 
voice  loud  enough  to  be  heard  by  Frank  and 
his  sister. 

"  Now,  driver,  you're  sure  you  know  where 
Mrs.  Nelson  lives?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,"  answered  the  man  respect- 
fully. 

"  Well,  then,  old  beeswax,  hurry  up.  Show 
us  how  fast  your  cobs  can  travel." 

So  saying,  he  sprang  into  the  carriage,  and 
the  driver  closed  the  door  after  him,  mounted 
to  his  seat,  and  drove  off. 

"Why,"  said  Julia,  in  surprise,  "I  guess 
that's  Aunt  Harriet— don't  you?" 


176      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

"  Yes,"  answered  her  brother,  "  I  know  it 
is." 

"  I  am  afraid  I  shall  not  like  James,"  con- 
tinued Julia;  "he  talks  too  loud." 

Frank  did  not  answer,  for  he  was  of  the 
same  opinion.  He  had  inferred  from  Archie's 
letter  that  James  would  prove  any  thing  but 
an  agreeable  companion. 

The  brisk  wind  that  was  blowing  carried 
them  rapidly  along,  and,  in  a  few  moments, 
they  came  to  a  place  where  the  road  ran  along 
close  to  the  creek.  The  distance  to  Mrs.  Nel- 
son's, by  the  road,  was  greater,  by  a  quarter 
of  a  mile,  than  by  the  creek,  and,  consequently, 
they  had  gained  considerably  on  the  carriage. 
Soon  they  heard  the  rattling  of  wheels  behind 
them,  and  the  hack  came  suddenly  around  a 
turn  in  the  road. 

James  was  leaning  half-way  out  of  the  win- 
dow, his  cap  pushed  on  one  side  of  his  head, 
and,  not  knowing  Frank,  he  accosted  him,  as 
he  came  up,  with  his  favorite  expression. 

"  Hallo,  old  beeswax !    Saw-logs  must  have 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.       177 

been  cheap  when  you  had  that  boat  built. 
You've  got  timber  enough  there  to  finish  off 
a  good-sized  barn." 

Frank,  of  course,  made  no  reply;  and,  in  a 
moment  more,  the  hack  was  out  of  sight. 

They  soon  reached  the  wharf,  in  front  of  the 
house,  and  Frank  helped  Julia  out,  and,  after 
making  his  boat  fast,  started  toward  the  house, 
and  entered  the  room  where  their  visitors  were 
seated. 

His  aunt's  greeting  was  cold  and  distant, 
and  she  acted  as  if  her  every  motion  had  beer 
thoroughly  studied.  James's  acknowledgment 
was  scarcely  more  than  agreeable.  To  Frank's 
inquiry,  "  How  do  you  do,  sir? "  he  replied, 

"  Oh,  I'm  bully,   thank   you,   old   beeswax.. 
Are  not  you  the  cod  I  twigged*  navigating 
that  scow  up  the  creek?  " 

Frank  acknowledged  himself  to  be  the  per- 
son, and  James  continued, 

"  I  suppose  she's  the  champion  yacht,  isn't 
she?" 

•Saw. 


178      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

"  Yes,"  answered  Frank,  "  she  is.  There's  no 
boat  about  the  vil'age  that  can  beat  her." 

"Ah,  possibly;  but,  after  all,  you  had  bet- 
ter tell  that  to  the  marines.  I've  seen  too 
much  of  the  world  to  have  a  country  chap 
stuff  me,  now  I  tell  you,  old  beeswax." 

We  will  not  particularize  upon  James's 
visit.  It  will  suffice  to  relate  one  or  two  in- 
cidents that  will  illustrate  his  character. 

A  day  or  two  after  his  arrival,  he  discovered 
the  schooner  standing  on  Frank's  bureau,  and 
he  could  not  be  contented  until  he  should  see 
"  how  she  carried  herself  in  the  water,"  and 
Frank,  reluctantly,  carried  it  down  to  the 
creek  and  set  it  afloat. 

For  a  few  moments  James  seemed  to  have 
forgotten  his  evil  propensities,  and  they 
amused  themselves  by  sailing  the  schooner 
from  one  side  of  the  creek  to  the  other.  But 
he  very  soon  grew  tired  of  this  "  lame,  unex- 
citing sport,"  as  he  called  it,  and,  gathering  up 
an  armful  of  stones,  he  began  to  throw  them 
into  the  water  near  the  boat,  shouting, 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      179 

"  Storm  on  the  Atlantic !     See  her  rock ! " 

"Please  don't,  James,"  urged  Frank;  "I'm 
afraid  you  will  hit  the  schooner." 

"  No  fear  of  that,"  answered  James,  con- 
fidently, still  continuing  to  throw  the  stones; 
"  I  can  come  within  a  hair's-breadth  of  her, 
and  not  touch  her.  Now,  see." 

And,  before  Frank  could  speak,  away  flew 
a  large  stone,  with  great  force,  and,  crashing 
through  the  mainsail  of  the  little  vessel,  broke 
both  masts  and  the  bowsprit  short  off. 

"  There,"  exclaimed  Frank,  "  I  was  afraid 
you  would  do  that." 

James  did  not  appear  to  be  in  the  least  sorry 
for  it,  but  he  skipped  up  the  bank,  shouting, 
in  an  insulting  tone, 

"  There's  your  boat,  old  beeswax.  When  do 
you  expect  her  in  port?  " 

Frank  did  not  answer,  but  drew  what  re- 
mained of  the  schooner  to  the  shore,  and,  tak- 
ing it  under  his  arm,  started  for  his  shop, 
saying, 

"  Now,  that's  a  nice  cousin  for  a  fellow  to 


180      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

have.  I'll  do  my  best  to  treat  him  respectfully 
while  he  stays,  but  I  shall  not  be  sorry  when 
the  time  comes  to  bid  him  good-by." 

And  that  time  was  not  far  distant.  James 
had  often  complained  to  his  mother  that  Frank 
was  a  "  low-minded,  mean  fellow/'  and  urged 
an  immediate  departure  His  mother  always 
yielded  to  his  requests,  or  rather  demands,  no 
matter  how  unreasonable  they  might  be ;  and 
they  had  scarcely  made  a  visit  of  a  week,  when 
they  announced  their  intention  of  leaving 
Lawrence  by  the  "  next  boat." 

On  the  day  previous  to  their  departure,  Mrs. 
Nelson  had  occasion  to  send  Frank  to  the  vil- 
lage for  some  groceries,  and,  as  a  favorable 
wind  was  blowing,  he  decided  to  go  in  his  boat. 
But,  before  starting,  he  managed  to  slip  away 
from  James  long  enough  to  write  a  few  lines 
to  Archie,  urging  him  to  come  immediately. 

Frank  intended  to  start  off  without  James's 
knowledge;  but  the  uneasy  fellow  was  always 
on  the  look-out,  and,  seeing  his  cousin  going 
rapidly  down  the  walk,  with  a  basket  on  each 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      181 

if 

arm,  and  his  dog — which,  like  his  master,  had 
not  much  affection  for  James — he  shouted, 

"  Hallo,  old  beeswax,  where  are  you  bound 
for?" 

"  For  the  village,"  answered  Frank. 

"  Are  you  going  to  take  the  tow-path?  " 

"  The  tow-path !  I  don't  know  what  you 
mean." 

"  Are  you  going  to  ride  shank's  horses?  " 

"  I  don't  understand  that,  either." 

"  Oh,  you  are  a  bass-wood  man,  indeed," 
said  James,  with  a  taunting  laugh.  "  Are  you 
going  to  walk?  Do  you  think  you  can  com- 
prehend me  now?  " 

"  Yes,"  answered  Frank,  "  I  can  understand 
you  when  you  talk  English.  No,  I  am  not  go- 
ing to  walk." 

"  Then  I'll  go  with  you,  if  you  will  leave  that 
dog  at  home." 

"  I  don't  see  what  objections  you  can 
have  to  his  company.  He  always  goes  with 
me." 

"  I  suppose  you  think  more  of  him  than  you 


1 82      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

do  of  your  relations ;  but  I'm  going  with  you, 
at  any  rate.'' 

And  he  quickened  his  pace  to  overtake 
Frank. 

While  his  cousin  was  hoisting  the  sails, 
James  deliberately  seated  himself  in  the  stern 
of  the  boat,  and  took  the  tiller. 

"  Do  you  understand  managing  a  sail-boat?  " 
inquired  Frank,  as  he  stood  ready  to  cast  off 
the  painter. 

"  If  any  one  else  had  asked  me  that  ques- 
tion," answered  James,  with  an  air  of  injured 
dignity,  "  I  should  have  considered  it  an  in- 
sult. Of  course  I  do." 

"All  right,  then,"  said  Frank,  as  he  pushed 
the  boat  from  the  wharf.  "Go  ahead.  We 
shall  be  obliged  to  tack  a  good  many  times  go- 
ing down,  but  we  can  sail  back  like  a  book, 
and—" 

"  Oh,  you  teach  your  grandmother,  will 
you?"  interrupted  James.  "  I've  sailed  more 
boats  than  you  ever  Kaw." 

Frank,  at  first,  did  not  doubt  the  truth  of 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      183 

this  assertion,  for  James  lived  in  a  seaport 
town,  and  had  had  ample  opportunity  to  learn 
how  to  manage  a  yacht ;  but  they  had  not  made 
twenty  feet  from  the  wharf,  when  he  made  up 
his  mind  that  his  cousin  had  never  before  at- 
tempted to  act  as  skipper. 

Instead  of  keeping  as  close  as  possible  to  the 
wind,  as  he  should  have  done,  he  turned 
the  boat's  head  first  one  way  and  then  an- 
other, and,  of  course,  made  no  headway  at 
all. 

"  I  never  saw  such  a  tub  as  this,-'  said 
James,  at  length ;  "  I  can't  make  her  mind  her 
helm." 

Just  at  this  moment  a  strong  gust  of  wind 
filled  the  sails,  and,  as  James  was  not  sea- 
man enough  to  "  luff "  or  "  let  go  the  sheet," 
the  Speedwell  came  very  near  capsizing.  As 
she  righted,  the  wind  aga!n  'filled  the  sails, 
and  the  boat  was  driven  with  great  speed  to- 
ward the  shore.  Frank  had  barely  time  to 
pull  up  the  center-board  before  her  bows  ran 
high  upon  the  bank,  and  the  sheet  wras  roughly 


184      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

jerked  from  James's  hand,  and  flapped  loudly 
against  the  mast. 

"  There,"  said  Frank,  turning  to  his  cousin, 
who  sat,  pale  with  terror,  "  I  guess  it's  a  long 
time  since  you  attempted  to  sail  a  boat;  you 
seem  to  have  forgotten  how.  I  tell  you,"  he 
continued,  as  he  noticed  James's  trepidation, 
"  if  I  hadn't  pulled  up  tliat  center-hoard  just  as 
I  did,  we  should  have  been  obliged  to  s\vim  for 
it." 

"  I  can't  swim,"  said  James,  in  a  weak  voice. 

"  Then  you  would  hare  been  in  a  fix,''  said 
Frank.  "  Now,  let  me  see  if  I  can  have  any 
better  luck." 

James  very  willingly  seated  himself  on  one 
of  the  middle  thwarts,  and  Frank  pushed  the 
boat  from  the  shore,  and  took  hold  of  the  til- 
ler, and,  under  his  skillful  management,  the 
Speedwell  flew  through  the  water  like  a 
duck. 

James  soon  got  over  his  fright,  and  his  un- 
easy nature  would  not  al'ow  him  to  remain 
long  inactive,  and,  a»  he  could  find  nothing 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      185 

else  to  do,  he  commenced  to  rock  the  boat  from 
one  side  to  the  other,  and,  as  she  was  '•  heel- 
ing "  considerably,  under  the  weight  of  her 
heavy  canvas,  the  water  began  to  pour  in  over 
her  side.  Although  the  speed  of  the  boat  was 
greatly  diminished,  Frank,  for  some  time, 
made  no  complaint,  hoping  that  his  cousin 
would  soon  grow  tired  of  the  sport.  But 
James  did  not  seem  inclined  to  cease,  and 
Frank,  at  length,  began  to  remonstrate. 

He  reminded  James  that  it  would  not  re- 
quire much  to  capsize  the  boat,  and,  as  the 
creek  was  very  deep,  and  as  he  (James)  had 
said  he  could  not  swim,  he  might  be  a  "  gone 
sucker." 

This,  at  first,  had  the  effect  of  making  James 
more  careful,  but  he  soon  commenced  again  as 
bad  as  ever. 

Brave  was  seated  in  his  usual  place,  and 
directly  behind  James.  He  seemed  to  dislike 
the  rocking  of  the  boat  as  much  as  his  master, 
but  he  bore  it  very  patiently  for  awhile,  think- 
ing, no  doubt,  that  the  best  way  to  deal  with 


1 86      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

James  was  to  "  let  him  severely  alone."  But 
the  rocking  increased,  and  Brave  began  to 
slide  from  one  side  of  the  boat  to  the  other. 
This  was  enough  to  upset  his  patience;  and, 
encouraged,  perhaps,  by  some  sly  glances  from 
Prank,  he  sprang  up,  and,  placing  a  paw  on 
each  shoulder  of  his  tormentor,  barked  fiercely, 
close  to  his  ear. 

James  screamel  loudly;  and  Brave,  evi- 
dently thinking  he  had  punished  him  enough, 
returned  to  his  seat. 

"  Let  me  ashore,"  shouted  James ;  "  I  shan't 
stay  in  here  any  longer." 

Frank  gladly  complied,  and,  the  moment  the 
Speedwell's  bows  touched  the  bank,  James 
sprang  out. 

"  I  wouldn't  risk  my  life  in  that  tub  again 
for  any  money,"  he  shouted;  "you  may  bet 
on  that,  old  beeswax." 

Frank  made  no  reply,  but  pushed  the  boat 
from  the  shore  again  as  soon  as  possible. 

James  now  felt  safe;  and,  gathering  up  a 
handful  of  stones,  determined  to  wreak  his 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      187 

vengeance  on  Brave.  The  sensible  Newfound- 
lander, at  first,  paid  no  attention  to  this  cow- 
ardly assault;  but  the  stones  whizzed  by  In 
unpleasant  proximity,  now  and  then  striking 
the  sail  or  the  side  of  the  boat,  and  he  began 
to  manifest  his  displeasure,  by  showing  his 
teeth  and  growling  savagely. 

Frank  stood  it  as  long  as  possible,  knowing 
that  the  best  plan  was  to  remain  silent;  but 
James  continued  to  follow  the  boat,  and  the 
stones  struck  all  around  the  object  of  his  ven- 
geance. 

"  I  wish  you  wouldn't  do  that,"  said  Frank, 
at  length. 

"  You  do,  eh?  "  said  James.  "  How  are  you 
going  to  hinder  it?  But  perhaps  you  would 
rather  have  me  throw  at  you." 

And,  picking  up  a  large  stone,  he  hurled  it 
at  his  cousin  with  great  force.  It  fell  into  the 
creek,  close  to  the  boat,  and  splashed  the  water 
all  over  Frank. 

This  seemed  to  enrage  Brave  more  than 
ever,  and  he  sprang  into  the  water,  and  swam 


1 88      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

toward  the  shore,  and  no  amount  of  scolding 
on  Frank's  part  could  induce  him  to  return. 
James,  fer  ring  that  he  was  about  to  be  pun- 
ished in  a  way  he  had  not  though  of,  turned 
and  took  to  his  heels. 

At  this  moment  a  loud  shout  was  heard,  and 
several  bojTs  sprang  over  the  fence  into  the 
road,  and  James  was  speedily  overtaken  and 
surrounded.  They  were  a  ragged,  hard-looking 
set  of  fellows,  and  Frank  knew  that  they  were 
the  Hillers;  besides,  he  recognized  the  fore- 
most of  them  as  Lee  Powell.  They  had  their 
fishing-rods  on  their  shoulders,  and  each 
boy  carried  in  his  hand  a  long  string  of 
trout. 

"  Look'e  here,  you  spindle-shanked  dandy," 
said  Lee,  striding  up  and  laying  hold  of 
James's  collar  with  no  friendly  hand,  "  does 
yer  know  who  yer  was  a  heavin'  rocks  at? 
Shall  we  punch  him  for  yer?  "  he  added,  turn- 
ing to  Frank. 

"  No,"  answered  Frank ;  "  let  him  go ;  he's 
my  cousin." 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      189 

Lee  accordingly  released  him,  and  James 
said,  in  a  scarcely  audible  voice, 

"  I  was  only  in  fun." 

"Oh,  only  playin'  was  yer?"  said  Lee; 
"  that  alters  the  case  'tirely — don't  it, 
Pete?" 

The  boy  appealed  to  nodded  his  assent,  and 
Lee  continued, 

"  We  thought  yer  was  in  blood  arnest.  If 
yer  had  been,  we  wouldn't  a  left  a  grease-spot 
of  yer — would  we,  Pete?  " 

"  Mighty  cl'ar  of  us,"  answered  Pete. 

As  soon  as  James  found  himself  at  liberty, 
he  started  toward  home  at  full  speed,  hardly 
daring  to  look  behind  him.  Brave  had  by  this 
time  gained  the  shore,  and  was  about  to  start 
in  pursuit,  but  a  few  sharp  words  from  Frank 
restrained  him. 

"  Whar  are  yer  goiu'?  "  inquired  Lee,  walk- 
ing carelessly  down  the  bank. 

"  I'm  going  to  the  village,"  answered  Frank. 

"  Will  yer  give  a  feller  a  ride?" 

"Certainly.     Jump  in." 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

The  Hillers  accordingly  clambered  into  the 
boat,  and,  in  a  few  moments,  they  reached  the 
wharf,  at  the  back  of  the  post-office. 

Lee  and  his  companions  immediately  sprang 
out,  and  walked  off,  without  saying  a  word; 
and  Frank,  after  fastening  his  boat  to  the 
wharf,  began  to  pull  down  the  sails,  when  he 
discovered  that  the  Hillers  had  left  two 
large  strings  of  trout  behind  them. 

Hastily  catching  them  up,  he  ran  around 
the  corner  of  the  post-office,  and  saw  Lee  and 
his  followers,  some  distance  up  the  road. 

"Hallo!"  he  shouted,  at  the  top  of  his 
lungs ;  "  Lee  Powell ! " 

But  they  paid  no  attention  to  him. 

"  I  know  they  heard  me,"  said  Frank. 

And  he  shouted  again,  but  with  no  better 
success. 

At  length,  one  of  the  village  boys,  who  was 
coming  across  the  fields,  with  a  basket  of 
strawberries  on  his  arm,  shouted  to  the  Hil- 
lers, and,  when  he  had  gained  their  attentioo, 
pointed  toward  Frank. 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      191 

'•  See  here! "  Frank  shouted,  as  he  held  up 
the  fish;  "you  have  forgotten  these." 

"  No,  I  guess  not,"  shouted  Lee,  in  reply. 
"  We  Hillers  don't  forget  favors  as  easy  as  all 
that  comes  to.  Ye're  welcome  to  'em." 

And  he  and  his  companions  walked  rapi$y 
off. 


IQ2      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist, 


CHAPTER    XI. 

TROUT-FISHING. 

A  FEW  days  after  the  events  related  in  the 
preceding  chapter  transpired,  Frank,  with  one 
or  two  companions,  was  standing  in  the  post- 
office,  waiting  for  the  opening  of  the  mail. 
The  steamer  had  just  landed,  and  the  pas- 
sengers which  she  had  brought  were  slowly 
walking  toward  the  hotel,  where  they  intended 
to  take  dinner.  At  length,  a  village  hack  came 
rapidly  down  the  road  leading  from  the  wharf, 
and,  when  it  came  opposite  the  post-office,  a 
head  was  suddenly  thrust  out  at  the  window, 
the  driver  reined  in  his  horses,  the  door  flew 
open,  and  Archie  Winters  sprang  out. 

We  shall  not  attempt  to  describe  the  meet- 
ing of  the  cousins,  nor  the  joy  that  prevailed 
among  the  village  boys  at  the  arrival  of  their 
city  friend. 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      193 

Archie  had  not  written  that  it  was  his  in- 
tention to  come  so  soon,  and  his  sudden  ap- 
pearance among  them  took  them  completely  by 
surprise. 

After  a  few  moments'  conversation,  Frank 
and  Archie  got  into  the  carriage,  and,  in  a 
short  time,  were  set  down  at  the  door  of  Mrs. 
Nelson's  house. 

Frank's  mother  and  sister  expressed  much 
joy  at  Archie's  arrival,  and,  after  the  excite- 
ment of  meeting  was  over,  they  inquired  after 
his  parents. 

"  When  are  they  coming?  "  asked  Frank. 

"  They  intended  to  come  in  the  fall,"  an- 
swered Archie,  "  but  father  has  more  business 
on  his  hands  than  he  expected,  and  they  mav 
not  be  here  before  the  holidays;  but  I  couldn't 
wait." 

"  I'm  glad  you  didn't,"  said  Frank.  "  You 
are  not  going  home  before  spring,  are 
you?" 

"  No,"  said  Archie,  "  I'm  going  to  stay  as 
long  as  you  will  keep  me." 


194      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

Prank  was  overjoyed  at  this,  and,  if  lie  had 
not  been  in  the  house,  he  would  have  given,  as 
he  said,  "  a  yell  that  would  have  done  credit 
to  an  Indian." 

But,  before  going  further,  we  must  say  a 
word  about  Archie's  companions — we  mean 
his  dogs.  One  of  them,  that  answered  to  the 
name  of  Sport,  was  as  fine  a  fox-hound  as  one 
would  wish  to  see.  He  was  a  large,  tan-colored 
animal,  very  fleet  and  courageous,  and  was 
well  acquainted  with  all  the  tricks  of  his  favor- 
ite game,  and  the  boys  often  boasted  that 
"  Sport  had  never  lost  a  fox  in  his  life."  The 
black  fox,  which  had  held  possession  of  Rey- 
nard's Island  so  long,  was  captured  by  Frank 
and  his  cousin,  with  the  assistance  of  Sport, 
after  a  chase  of  three  hours.  Lightfoot — for 
that  was  the  name  of  the  other — was  an  Eng- 
lish grayhound.  He  stood  full  three  feet  high 
at  the  shoulders,  and  his  speed  was  tremen- 
dous. He  was  young,  however,  and  knew  noth- 
ing about  hunting;  but  he  had  been  taught  to 
"  fetch  and  carry,"  and,  as  he  learned  very 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      195 

readily,  the  boys  expected  plenty  of  sport  in 
training  him. 

After  supper,  Archie's  trunk  was  carried 
into  the  "  study,"  and  the  boys  busied  them- 
selves in  taking  out  its  contents.  The  clothing 
was  all  packed  away  in  the  bureau ;  and  then 
came  Archie's  "  sporting  cabinet,"  as  he  called 
it — a  fine  double-barrelled  shot-gun,  which 
was  hung  upon  the  frame  at  the  foot  of  the 
bed;  a  quantity  of  ammunition,  a  small 
hatchet,  powder-flasks,  shot-bags,  and  a  num- 
ber of  other  things,  which  were  stowed  away 
in  safe  places. 

At  length  Archie  drew  out  two  fish-poles, 
neatly  stowed  away  in  strong  bags,  and  one 
of  them  proved  to  be  the  one  about  which 
Archie  had  written.  This  was  placed  away  in 
one  corner,  and  Frank  promised  to  mend  it 
immediately. 

"  See  here,"  said  Archie,  as  he  drew  out  two 
queer-looking  implements ;  "  I  have  been  acting 
gn  the  suggestion  of  Uncle  Joe  Lewis." 

v  What  are  the.y?  "  inquired  Frank. 


I 


196      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

One  of  them  was  a  thin  rod  of  a  steel,  about 
three  feet  in  length,  very  pointed  and  sharp 
at  the  end;  the  other  looked  very  much  like 
a  fish-spear,  only  the  "  tines "  were  smaller 
and  sharper. 

"  They  are  spears,"  said  Archie,  in  an- 
swer to  Frank's  question. 

"  So  I  see ;  but  what  use  can  you  put  them 
to?" 

"  This,"  said  Archie,  taking  up  the  rod  of 
steel,  "  is  a  mink-spear.  Last  winter  we  Io4 
a  good  many  minks,  when,  if  we  had  had  an 
instrument  like  this,  we  could  have  secured 
them  easily  enough.  You  know  that  some- 
times you  get  a  mink  into  a  place  where  you 
can  see  him,  but,  if  you  go  to  work  to  chop  a 
hole  large  enough  to  get  a  stick  in  to  kill  him, 
he  will  jump  out  before  you  know  what  you  are 
about.  You  will  remember  a  little  incident  of 
this  kind  that  happened  last  winter — that  day 
we  had  such  good  luck.  We  were  following  a 
mink  up  the  creek  on  the  ice,  when  Brave  sud- 
denly stopped  before  a  hollow  stub,  and  stuck 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      197 

his  nose  into  a  hole,  and  acted  as  if  there  was 
a  mink  in  there ;  and,  you  know,  we  didn't  be- 
lieve there  was,  but  we  thought  we  could  stop 
and  see.  So  we  cut  a  hole  in  the  stub,  and, 
sure  enough,  there  was  a  mink,  and,  as  good 
luck  would  have  it,  we  had  cut  the  hole  close 
to  the  place  where  he  was,  and  we  thought  we 
had  him  sure ;  and,  while  Harry  Butler  went  to 
cut  a  stick  to  kill  him  with,  I  chopped  the  hole 
a  little  larger,  so  that  we  could  see  him  plainer, 
when,  all  of  a  sudden,  out  popped  the  mink, 
and,  before  we  could  say  '  scat,'  it  was  under 
the  ice." 

"  Yes,"  said  Frank,  "  I  remember  it  very 
well;  and,  I  guess,  there  were  some  mad  boys 
around  that  place,  somewhere." 

"  Yes,"  said  Archie,  "  I  was  provoked  be- 
cause it  was  all  my  fault  that  we  lost  him.  If 
we  had  had  this  spear,  we  could  have  killed 
him  easy  enough.  We  wouldn't  be  obliged  to 
cut  a  hole  larger  than  an  inch  square,  and  no 
mink  I  ever  saw  could  get  through  that.  And 
this,"  he  continued,  taking  uv>  the  other  instru- 


198      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

merit,  "  is  a  muskrat-spear.  The  way  to  pro- 
ceed is  this :  Go  to  a  muskrat's  house,  and,  with 
an  ax,  cut  a  chunk  out  of  the  top,  directly  over 
where  they  sleep." 

"  And,  by  the  time  you  get  that  done,"  said 
Frank,  with  a  laugh,  "  the  muskrats  will  be 
out  of  your  way." 

"  I  know  that ;  they  will  undoubtedly  start 
off  the  first  blow  you  strike,  and  swim  to  some 
breathing-hole;  but  in  a  quarter  of  an  'hour 
they  will  be  sure  to  return.  While  they  are 
gone,  you  will  have  plenty  of  time  to  cut  the 
chunk,  and,  after  taking  it  out,  place  it  care- 
fully back,  in  such  a  manner  that  it  can  be  re- 
moved instantly;  then,  if  there  are  any  other 
houses  near,  serve  them  in  the  same  way. 
Then,  in  half  an  hour  or  so,  take  your  spear 
and  go  to  the  houses,  making  as  little  noise 
as  possible,  and  let  your  companion  lift  out 
the  chunk  suddenly,  and  you  be  ready  to 
strike.  Father  says  he  has  seen  Uncle  Joe 
Lewis  catch  hr.lf  a  dozen  in  one  house,  in  this 
way,  very  frequently.  He  always  spears  the 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      199 

one  nearest  the  passage  that  leads  from  the 
house  down  into  the  water,  and  this  will  pre- 
vent the  others  from  escaping." 

"  I  don't  much  like  the  idea,"  said  Prank. 

"  Neither  do  I/'  said  Archie.  "  It  will  do 
well  enough  for  those  who  make  their  living  by 
hunting;  but,  if  I  want  to  hunt  muskrats,  I 
would  rather  wait  until  the  ice  breaks  up,  in 
spring;  I  can  then  shoot  them  quite  fast 
enough  to  suit  me,  and  the  sport  is  more  excit- 
ing." 

One  morning,  about  a  week  after  Archie's 
arrival,  they  arose,  as  usual,  very  early,  and, 
while  they  were  dressing,  Frank  drew  aside 
the  curtain,  and  looked  out. 

"  I  say,  Archie,"  he  exclaimed,  "  you've  got 
your  wish ;  it's  a  first-rate  morning  to  go  trout- 
fishing." 

Archie  had  been  waiting  impatiently  for  a 
cloudy  day ;  he  was  very  fond  of  trout-fishing, 
and  he  readily  agreed  to  his  cousin's  proposal 
to  "  take  a  trip  to  Dungeon  Brook,"  and  they 
commenced  pulling  on  their  "  hunting  and 


20O      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

fishing  rig,"  as  they  called  it,  which  consisted 
of  a  pair  of  stout  pantaloons  that  would  resist 
water  and  dirt  to  the  last  extremity,  heavy 
boots  reaching  above  their  knees,  and  a  blue 
flannel  shirt. 

While  Archie  was  getting  their  fishing- 
tackle  ready,  Frank  busied  himself  in  placing 
on  the  table  in  the  kitchen  such  eatables  as  he 
could  lay  his  hands  on,  for  he  and  his  cousin 
were  the  only  ones  up. 

Their  breakfast  was  eaten  in  a  hurry;  and, 
after  drawing  on  their  India-rubber  coats — 
for  Frank  said  it  would  rain  before  they  re- 
turned— they  slung  on  their  fish-baskets,  and 
took  their  trout-poles  in  tlieir  hands,  and 
started  out. 

Dungeon  Brook  lay  about  five  miles  distant, 
through  the  woods.  It  was  a  long  tramp,  over 
fallen  logs  and  through  thick  bushes;  but  it 
was  famous  for  its  large  trout,  and  the  boys 
knew  they  would  be  well  repaid  for  their 
trouble. 

In  about  two  hours  they  arrived  at  their 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      201 

destination;  and,  after  partaking  of  a  lunch, 
which  Frank  had  brought,  they  rigged  their 
"  flies,''  and  Archie  went  up  the  brook  a  little 
distance,  to  try  a  place  known  among  the  boys 
as  the  "  old  trout-hole,''  while  Frank  dropped 
his  hook  down  close  to  a  large  log  that  lay 
across  the  stream,  near  the  place  where  he  was 
standing.  The  bait  sank  slowly  toward  the 
bottom,  when,  suddenly,  there  was  a  tre- 
mendous jerk,  and  the  line  whizzed  through 
the  water  with  a  force  that  bent  the  tough, 
elastic  pole  like  a  "  reed  shaken  with  the 
wind."  Frank  was  a  skillful  fisherman,  and, 
after  a  few  moments'  maneuvering,  a  trout 
weighing  between  three  and  four  pounds  lay 
floundering  on  the  bank. 

Archie  soon  came  up,  having  been  a  little 
more  successful,  as  two  good-sized  fish  were 
struggling  in  his  basket. 

They  walked  slowly  down  the  brook,  stop 
ping  now  and  then  to  try  some  favorite  spot, 
and,  about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  they 
reached  the  place  where  the  brook  emptied  into 


202      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

Glen's  Creek,  and  were  about  two  miles  from 
home.  They  had  been  remarkably  successful; 
their  baskets  were  filled,  and  they  had  several 
"  sockdologers "  strung  on  a  branch,  whioh 
they  carried  in  their  hands. 

After  dropping  their  hooks  for  a  few  mo- 
ments among  the  perch,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
brook,  they  unjointed  their  poles,  and  started 
toward  home,  well  satisfied  with  their  day's 
work. 

The  next  day,  as  Frank  and  Archie  were  on 
their  way  to  the  village,  on  foot — the  wind  be- 
ing contrary,  they  could  not  sail — they  met 
George  and  Harry,  who  had  started  to  pay 
them  a  visit. 

"  Hallo,  boys ! "  exclaimed  the  former,  as 
soon  as  they  came  within  speaking  distance, 
"  we've  got  news  for  you." 

"  And  some  that  you  will  not  like  to  hear, 
Frank,''  said  Harry,  with  a  laugh. 

"What  is  it?"  inquired  Archie. 

"Why,  you  know,  Charley  Morgan,  some 
time  since,  sent  to  New  York  for  a  couple  of 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      203 

sail-boats,  a  sloop  and  a  schooner.  They  ar- 
rived yesterday,  and  he  thinks  they  are  some- 
thing great,  and  says  the  Speedwell  is  no- 
where." 

"  Yes,"  chimed  in  Harry,  "  he  said,  when 
those  boats  came,  he  would  show  us  '  country 
chaps '  some  sailing  that  would  make  us  open 
our  eyes;  but,  come  to  find  out,  they  are  per- 
fect tubs.  I  saw  the  sloop  coming  up  the  creek, 
and  she  made  poor  headway.  The  Alert  can 
beat  her  all  hollow,  with  only  the  foresail 
hoisted." 

During  the  conversation  the  boys  had  been 
walking  toward  the  village,  and,  in  a  few  mo- 
ments, they  reached  the  dock  behind  the  post- 
office,  where  the  two  new  boats  lay.  One  of 
them  was  a  short,  "  dumpy,"  sloop-rigged  boat, 
with  no  deck  or  center-board,  and  the  other 
was  a  beautifully-modeled  schooner. 

"What  do  you  think  of  them?"  inquired 
Harry,  after  they  had  regarded  them  several 
moments. 

"  Well,"  answered  Archie,  "  I  have  seen  a 


204      Frank,  The  Ybung  Naturalist. 

good  many  boats  like  these  in  New  York,  but 
I  don't  think  they  will  do  mucji  here.  That 
schooner  may  show  some  fine  sailing  qualities, 
but  that  sloop  will  prove  to  be  the  slowest 
boat  about  the  village;  she  is  altogether  too 
short.  Take  it  where  the  waves  are  long  and 
regular,  and  she  will  do  well  enough;  but 
here  in  the  river,  where  the  wayes  are  all 
chopped  up,  she  can't  accomplish  much." 

"  That's  your  private  opinion,  expressed 
here  in  this  public  manner,  is  it?"  said  a 
sneering  voice.  "  You  have  made  a  fine  show 
of  your  ignorance." 

The  boys  turned,  and  saw  Charles  Morgan 
and  several  of  the  Bangers  standing  close  by. 

"  If  I  didn't  know  more  about  yachts  than 
that/'  continued  Charles,  "  I'd  go  home  and 
soak  my  head." 

This  remarks  was  greeted  by  the  Rangers 
with  a  loud  langh;  and  Archie,  who,  like 
Frank,  was  a  very  peaceable  fellow,  said, 

"  Every  one  to  his  own  way  of  thinking,  you 
know." 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      205 

"  Certainly,"  answered  Charles ;  "  but,  if 
I  was  as  much  of  a  blockhead  as  you  are,  I'd 
be  careful  to  keep  my  thoughts  to  myself." 

Archie  did  not  answer,  for  he  knew  it  would 
only  add  fuel  to  the  fire ;  for  Charles's  actions 
indicated  that  he  was  bent  on  getting  up  a 
quarrel.  He  had  determined  to  make  another 
attempt  to  "  settle  accounts  "  between  himself 
and  Frank. 

"I'll  bet  you  'fifty  dollars/'  said  Charles, 
"  that  there  are  not  half  a  dozen  boats  about 
the  village  that  can  beat  that  sloop." 

"  I'm  not  in  the  habit  of  betting,"  answered 
Archie;  "but,  if  you  will  find  a  boat  about 
the  Tillage  that  ca/n't  beat  her,  I'll  eat  your 
sloop." 

"You  are  green,  indeed,"  said  Charles. 
"  Now,  what  do  you  suppose  that  sloop  cost 
me?" 

"  Well,"  answered  Archie,  thrusting  his 
hands  deep  into  his  pockets,  "  I  think  ten 
lollars  would  foot  the  bill."^ 

Archie  said  this  in  so  comical  a  manner 


206      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

that  Frank  and  the  others  could  not  refrain 
from  laughing  outright. 

Charles  was  angry  in  au  instant,  and,  quick 
as  thought,  he  sprang  forward  and  seized  Ar- 
chie. B^t  he  soon  discovered  that  he  had  un- 
dertaken more  than  he  could  accomplish;  for 
his  antagonist,  though  considerably  smaller 
than  himself,  was  possessed  of  enormous 
strength,  and  was  as  active  as  a  cat,  and  he 
glided  like  an  eel  from  Charles's  grasp,  and, 
seizing  him  by  both  wrists,  held  him  fast. 
After  a  few  desperate,  but  ineffectual,  attempts 
to  free  himself,  Charles  shouted  to  the  Rang- 
ers, who  had  been  bustling  about  in  a  state  of 
considerable  excitement,  but  very  prudently 
keeping  in  the  background, 

"  Help,  help,  you  cowards ! '' 

But  nothing  could  induce  them  to  attempt 
the  rescue. 

At  this  moment  a  boat,  which  had  entered 
the  creek  unnoticed  by  the  boys,  drew  up  to 
the  dock,  and  a  strong,  cheery  voice,  called 
out, 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      207 

"  Hang  on  to  him,  little  fellow — hang  on  to 
him.  "  We've  got  a  few  little  matters  to  set- 
tle up." 

And  Lee  Powell  came  running  toward  them, 
with  half  a  dozen  of  his  ragged  followers  close 
at  his  heels. 

"  Oh,  let  me  go,"  cried  Charles,  turning  very 
pale,  and  writhing  and  twisting  in  the  strong 
grasp  that  held  him ;  "  I'll  be  civil  to  you  after 
this,  only  don't  let  them  get  hold  of  me ;  they 
will  half  kill  me." 

Archie  accordingly  released  his  captive,  but 
the  Hillers  were  so  close  to  him  that  Charles 
dare  not  run,  and  he  remained  close  to  Frank 
for  protection,  while  the  rest  of  the  Rangers 
beat  a  precipitate  retreat. 

"  Here,  Pete,  hold  my  coat,"  said  Lee,  toss- 
ing his  tattered  garment  to  one  of  his  compan- 
ions; "I'll  show  this  Cap'n  Regulator  that 
some  folks  are  as  good  as  others." 

And  he  advanced  toward  Charles,  and  com- 
menced rolling  up  his  sleeves. 

"  No,  Lee,"  said  Frank,  placing  himself  be- 


.io8      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

fore  the  frightened  Ranger,  "  you  must  n't 
touch  him." 

"  Mustn't  touch  him ! "  repeated  Lee,  in 
surprise.  "  Why,  wasn't  he  jest  tryin'  to 
wallop  your  friend  here?  " 

"  Oh,  he's  able  to  defend  himself,"  answered 
Frank. 

"  Then  he's  all  right.  But  I  haven't  paid 
him  for  trying  to  Regulate  me,  that  night." 

"  He  didn't  do  it,  did  he?  "  inquired  Frank. 

"  No,  'cause  you  fellows  wouldn't  let 
him." 

"  Then,  we  don't  want  you  to  whip  him 
now." 

"  Wai,  if  you  say  so,  I  won't ;  but  he  oughter 
be  larnt  better  manners — hadn't  he,  Pete?  " 

"  'Course,"  was  Pete's  laconic  answer. 

"  Now,  Charley,"  said  Archie,  "  you  may 
take  yourself  off  as  soon  as  you  wish ;  they  will 
not  hurt  YOU." 

"  Not  this  time,"  said  Lee,  shaking  his  hard 
fist  in  Charles's  face ;  "  but  we  may  come 
acrost  you  some  time  when  you  has  n't  nobody 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      209 

to  stand  up  for  you ;  then  you  had  better  look 
out—  hadn't  he,  Pete?" 

"  Had  n't  he,  though ! ''  was  the  answer. 

Charles  did  not  need  any  urging,  and  he  was 
quickly  out  of  sight. 

"  I'd  like  to  see  you  jest  a  rainit,  Frank," 
said  Lee,  as  the  former  was  about  to  move 
away. 

Frank  drew  off  on  one  side,  and  the  Hiller 
continued, 

"  I  promised  I'd  allers  be  a  friend  to  you 
fellers  that  stood  up  for  me  that  night,  and  I 
want  to  let  you  see  that  I  haven't  forgot 
my  promise.  I  know  that  I  can't  do  much  for 
you,  but  I  jest  want  to  show  you  that  I  allers 
remember  favors." 

Here  he  turned,  and  made  a  motion  to  one 
of  his  companions,  who  darted  off  to  the  boat, 
and  soon  returned,  bringing  a  young  otter 
in  his  arms. 

"  I  allers  heard,"  continued  Lee,  as  his  com- 
panion came  up,  "  that  you  have  a  reg'lar 
hankerin'  arter  ketchin'  and  tarn  in'  wild  var- 


210      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

mints.  Now,  we  want  you  to  take  this  as  a 
present  from  us.  I  know  it  ain't  much,  but, 
arter  all,  a  young  otter  is  a  thing  a  feller  can't 
ketch  every  day.  Will  you  take  it?  " 

"  Certainly,''  answered  Frank,  as  he  took 
the  little  animal  in  Iris  arms.  "  I  have  long 
wished  for  an  otter,  and  I  thank— 

"  Hold  on  there,"  interrupted  Lee.  '•  Keep 
your  thanks  for  them  as  needs  them,  or  likes 
to  hear  'em.  We  Hillers  have  got  feelings  as 
well  as  any  body.  It's  our  way  of  bringin'  up 
that  makes  us  so  bad.  Now,  good-by;  and, 
if  you  ever  want  any  thing,  jest  call  on  Lee 
Powell." 

And  he  and  his  companions  walked  rapidly 
toward  their  boat,  and  soon  disappearev\. 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      211 
CHAPTER  XII. 

A  DEER-HUNT  ON  THE  WATER. 

THE  next  morning,  after  breakfast,  Frank 
and  his  cousin,  accompanied  by  the  dogs,  got 
into  the  skiff,  and  pulled  up  the  creek,  on  a 
"  prospecting  expedition."  They  had  started 
for  the  swamp,  which  lay  about  two  miles  and 
a  half  from  the  cottage,  to  see  what  the  pros- 
pects were  for  a  good  inuskrat-hunt  in  the 
spring.  This  swamp  covered,  perhaps,  five 
hundred  acres,  and  near  its  center  was  a  small 
lake,  which  emptied  into  Glen's  Creek. 

A  few  moments'  pulling  brought  them  to 
this  lake,  and  Frank,  who  was  seated  at  the 
helm,  turned  the  boat's  head  toward  a  high 
point  that  projected  for  some  distance  out 
into  the  lake,  and  behind  which  a  little  bay 
set  back  into  the  land.  This  point  was  the 
only  high  land  about  the  swamp,  and  stretched 
away  back  into  the  woods  for  several  miles. 
It  was  a  favorite  place  for  sunfish  and  perch ; 
and  the  boys  landed,  and  were  rigging  their 


212      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

poles,  intending  to  catch  some  for  their  dinner, 
when  they  heard  a  strange  noise,  that  seemed 
to  come  from  the  bay  behind  the  point.  They 
knew  in  a  moment  that  it  was  made  by  a  duck, 
but  still  it  was  a  sound  they  had  never  heard 
before,  and,  hunter-like,  they  determined  to 
discover  where  it  came  from.  So,  reaching  for 
their  guns  they  crawled  carefully  through  the 
bushes,  until  they  came  within  sight  of  the  bay. 
A  brood  of  young  ducks,  under  the  direction 
of  two  old  ones,  were  sporting  about  among 
the  broad  leaves  of  the  water-lilies.  They  had 
never  seen  any  like  them  before;  but  Frank 
knew  in  a  moment,  from  descriptions  he  had 
often  read,  that  they  were  eider-ducks,  and  he 
determined,  if  possible,  to  capture  some  of  the 
young  ones,  which,  he  noticed,  were  but  half- 
fledged,  and  too  small  to  fly.  But  the  question 
was  how  to  proceed.  If  the  ducklings  could 
not  fly,  they  could  swim  like  a  streak ;  and  he 
knew  that,  the  moment  they  were  alarmed, 
they  would  either  make  for  the  opposite  side 
of  the  bay  or  for  the  lake,  and,  if  they  suc- 
ceeded in  reaching  the  open  water,  he  might 
whistle  for  his  ducks. 

nis  only  chance  was  to  corner  them  in  the 
bay ;  they  would  then  be  obliged  to  hide  among 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      213 

the  lilies,  and  perhaps  they  might  succeed  in 
capturing  some  of  them. 

Hurriedly  whispering  to  his  cousin,  they 
crept  back  to  the  skiff,  pulled  around  the  point, 
and  entered  the  bay.  The  moment  they  came 
in  sight,  the  old  ones  uttered  their  cries  of 
warning,  took  to  wing,  and  flew  out  over  the 
lake,  and,  as  they  had  expected,  the  young 
ones  darted  in  among  the  lilies,  and  were  out 
of  sight  in  an  instant.  But  the  boys  had  kept 
their  eyes  open,  and  knew  about  where  to  look 
for  them ;  and,  after  half  an  hour's  chase,  they 
succeeded  in  securing  three  of  them  with  the 
dip-net. 

After  tying  them  up  in  their  caps,  Frank 
pulled  leisurely  along  out  of  the  bay,  and  was 
just  entering  the  lake,  when  Archie,  who  was 
steering,  suddenly  turned  the  boat  toward  the 
shore,  and  said,  in  a  scarcely  audible  whisper, 

"  A  deer — a  deer !  as  sure  as  I  live ! " 

Frank  looked  in  the  direction  his  cousin 
indicated,  and  saw  a  large  buck  standing  in 
the  edge  of  the  water,  not  twenty  rods  from 
them.  Luckily  he  had  not  heard  their  ap- 
proach, and  Frank  drew  the  boat  closer  under 
the  point,  to  watch  his  motions. 

They  were  a  good  deal  excited,  and  Archie's 


214      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

hand  trembled  like  a  leaf,  as  he  reached  for 
his  gun. 

Another  lucky  circumstance  was,  that  the 
dogs  had  not  discovered  him.  Brave  and 
Hunter  could  have  been  kept  quiet,  but  Light- 
foot  was  not  sufficiently  trained  to  be  trusted. 

The  boys  determined  to  make  an  effort  t;> 
capture  him ;  he  would  make  a  splendid  addi- 
tion to  their  museum.  Besides,  they  had  never 
killed  a  deer,  and  now  the  opportunity  was 
fairly  before  them.  But  the  question  was  how 
to  proceed.  The  buck  was  out  of  range  of  their 
shot-guns,  and  they  knew  it  would  be  worse 
than  useless  to  fire  at  him ;  so  they  concluded 
to  lie  still  in  the  boat,  and  await  the  move- 
ments of  the  game. 

The  buck  was  standing  in  the  water,  up  to 
his  knees,  deliberately  cropping  the  leaves  of 
the  lilies,  and  now  and  then  gazing  toward  the 
opposite  shore,  as  if  he  were  meditating  upon 
something.  At  length  he  appeared  to  have  de- 
cided upon  his  course,  for  he  waded  deeper  into 
the  water,  and  swam  boldly  out  into  the  lake. 

This  was  exactly  what  the  boys  had  wished 
for;  and,  when  the  buck  had  made  about  ten 
rods  from  the  shore,  Archie  took  his  seat  at  the 
oars,  and  pulled  the  boat  silently  out  from  be- 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      215 

hind  the  point.  The  moment  they  entered  the 
lake,  Lightfoot  discovered  the  game,  and  ut- 
tered a  loud  bark.  The  buck  heard  it,  and  his 
first  impulse  was  to  turn  and  regain  the  shore 
he  had  just  left.  But  Archie  gave  way  on  the 
oars  manfully,  and  succeeded  in  intercepting 
him;  and  the  buck,  finding  himself  fairly  cut 
off,  uttered  a  loud  snort,  and  seeming  to  under- 
stand that  his  only  chance  for  escape  was 
straight  ahead,  he  settled  himself  down  in  the 
water,  and  struck  out  again  for  the  opposite 
shore. 

The  dogs  now  all  broke  out  into  a  contin- 
uous barking,  and  Archie  exclaimed,  in  an  ex- 
cited voice, 

"Shoot  him!  shoot  him!" 

"  He  is  too  far  off,"  answered  Frank.  "  You 
must  remember  that  our  guns  are  loaded  with 
small  shot.  Give  way  lively!  " 

The  boys  very  soon  discovered  that  they  had 
no  easy  task  before  them.  The  light  skiff,  pro- 
pelled by  Archie's  powerful  strokes,  danced 
rapidly  over  the  little  waves ;  but  the  buck  was 
a  fast  swimmer,  and  made  headway  through 
the  water  astonishingly. 

"  Don't  we  gain  on  him  any?  "  inquired  Ar- 
chie, panting  hard  from  his  exertions. 


216      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

"  Yes,  a  very  little,"  answered  Frank. 
"  But  he  swims  like  a  streak." 

At  length  they  reached  the  middle  of  the 
lake,  and  Frank,  to  his  delight,  discovered  that 
they  were  gaining  rapidly.  Archie  redoubled 
his  efforts,  and  a  few  more  strokes  brought 
them  close  alongside  of  the  buck,  which 
snorted  aloud  in  his  terror,  and  leaped  half- 
way out  of  the  water,  then  settled  down  nobly 
to  his  work. 

Had  Frank  been  an  experienced  deer-hunter, 
he  would  have  been  very  careful  not  to  ap- 
proach the  game  in  that  manner;  for  a  deer, 
when  he  finds  himself  unable  to  escape,  will 
fight  most  desperately,  and  his  sharp  antlers 
and  hoofs,  which  will  cut  like  a  knife,  are 
weapons  not  to  be  despised.  But  Frank,  in 
his  excitement,  did  not  stop  to  think  of  this, 
and,  letting  go  the  tiller,  he  seized  his  gun,  and 
fired  both  barrels  in  quick  succession.  But  the 
shot  was  not  fatal;  and  the  buck,  maddened 
with  pain,  leaped  almost  entirely  out  of  the 
water. 

Frank  now  saw  their  danger,  and,  seizing 
the  oars,  attempted  to  turn  the  boat  out  of  the 
reach  of  the  wounded  animal ;  but  it  was  too 
late,  for  the  buck,  in  his  struggles,  placed  his 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      217 

fore-feet  in  the  bow  of  the  skiff,  and  over- 
turned it  in  an  instant,  and  boys,  dogs,  ducks, 
and  all,  were  emptied  into  the  cold  waters  of 
the  lake.  When  they  rose  to  the  surface,  they 
found  the  skiff  right  side  up,  and  dancing  over 
the  waves  they  had  made,  and  the  ducks 
and  oars  were  floating  in  the  water  around 
them. 

Their  first  thought  was  to  discover  what  had 
become  of  the  buck;  he  and  Brave  were  en- 
gaged in  a  most  desperate  fight,  in  which  the 
dog  was  evidently  getting  the  better  of  it. 
The  hounds,  probably  not  relishing  their  duck- 
ing, were  making  for  the  nearest  shore,  as  if 
their  lives  depended  upon  the  issue. 

Frank  swam  up  to  the  skiff,  and  took  hold 
of  it,  to  keep  himself  afloat ;  but  Archie  picked 
up  an  oar,  and  struck  out  toward  the  buck, 
exclaiming, 

"  I  guess  I'd  better  take  a  hand  in  this 
fight." 

"  No,  no,"  said  Frank  quickly,  "  you  had 
better  keep  away  from  him;  he  has  too  much 
strength  left.  He  would  beat  you  down  under 
the  water  in  less  than  a  minute.  Brave  can 
manage  him  alone." 

The  next  moment  Frank  happened  to  think 


218      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

of  his  gun.  Where  was  it?  He  drew  himself 
up  and  looked  into  the  canoe.  It  was  not 
there ;  it  was  at  the  bottom  of  the  lake. 

"  Archie,"  he  exclaimed,  "  we've  lost  our 
guns." 

"  Just  my  luck,"  answered  his  cousin,  bit- 
terly. "  Now,  I'll  have  revenge  for  that." 

And,  swimming  around  behind  the  buck,  out 
of  reach  of  his  dangerous  hoofs,  he  raised  him- 
self in  the  water,  and  struck  him  a  powerful 
blow,  that  shivered  the  blade  of  the  oar  into 
fragments.  It  was  a  fatal  blow;  and  the  buck 
ceased  his  struggles,  and  lay  motionless  on  the 
water.  It  was  a  lucky  circumstance  for  Brave 
that  Archie  had  taken  part  in  the  fight,  for  the 
poor  dog  had  experienced  some  pretty  rougli 
handling.  He  had  received  several  wounds 
from  the  sharp  hoofs  of  the  buck,  and  there 
was  a  severe  cut  in  his  neck,  from  which  the 
blood  was  flowing  profusely;  but  the  way  he 
continued  to  shake  the  buck  after  Archie  had 
dealt  the  fatal  blow  showed  that  there  was 
plenty  of  fight  left  in  him.  Frank  carefully 
lifted  him  into  the  boat,  and,  by  their  united 
efforts,  after  a  good  deal  of  hard  work,  the 
buck  was  thrown  in  after  him.  The  boys  then 
climbed  in  themselves,  and  Frank  said, 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      219 

"  Well,  we  have  captured  our  first  deer, 
have  n't  we?  " 

"  I  wish  we  had  never  seen  him,"  answered 
Archie.  "  We've  lost  our  guns  by  the  opera- 
tion." 

"  I  am  afraid  so ;  but  we  will,  at  least,  make 
an  attempt  to  recover  them." 

"  How  will  we  go  to  work?  " 

"  We  will  dive  for  them." 

Archie  shrugged  his  shoulders,  but  made  no 
reply. 

Frank's  first  care  was  to  bandage  Braved 
neck  with  his  handkerchief.  He  then  divested 
himself  of  his  clothes,  and,  after  wringing  the 
water  out  of  them,  he  spread  them  out  in  the 
bow  of  the  boat  to  dry. 

"  I  don't  much  like  the  idea  of  going  down 
in  there,"  said  Archie,  looking  dubiously  at 
the  dark,  muddy  water ;  "  there  may  be  snakes 
in  it,  or  it  may  be  full  of  logs,  or  (he  bottom 
may  be  covered  with  weeds  that  will  catch 
hold  of  a  fellow's  leg  and  keep  him  down." 

"I  can't  help  it,"  said  Frank;  "we  must 
have  the  guns ;  I'd  rather  risk  any  thing  than 
lose  them.  The  only  thing  I  am  afraid  of  is 
that  the  water  is  too  deep.  I'll  be  a  little  caro- 
ful  at  first." 


220      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

So  saying,  he  lowered  himself  over  the  side 
of  the  boat,  and,  drawing  in  a  long  breath, 
sank  slowly  out  of  sight. 

Meanwhile  Archie  was  pulling  off  his 
clothes,  and,  when  his  cousin  appeared,  he  ex- 
claimed, 

'"  How  do  things  look  down  there?  Rather 
muddy,  is  n't  it?" 

"  Yes/'  answered  Frank,  as  he  wiped  the 
water  from  his  face,  "  but  the  bottom  is  all 
clear,  and  the  water  is  only  about  fifteen  feet 
deep." 

"  Did  you  see  anything  of  the  guns?  " 

"No,  I  couldn't  stay  down  long  enough  to 
make  observations.  I'm  going  to  dive  this 
time,"  he  continued,  as  he  commenced  climb- 
ing back  into  the  boat. 

u  Well,  here  goes !  "  said  Archie. 

And,  clasping  his  hands  above  his  head,  he 
dived  out  of  sight,  and  Frank  followed  close 
after. 

When  the  latter  again  appeared  at  the  sur- 
face, he  found  Archie  holding  on  to  the  boat, 
with  one  of  the  guns  elevated  above  his  head, 
to  allow  the  water  to  run  out  of  the  barrels. 

The  boys  climbed  up  into  the  boat,  and  dived 
again,  but  neither  of  them  met  with  any  sue- 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      221 

cess.  The  next  time  Archie  was  again  the 
fortunate  one,  for,  when  Frank  rose  to  the 
surface,  he  was  climbing  up  into  the  boat,  with 
the  other  gun  iu  his  hand. 

"  I  don't  call  this  a  very  unlucky  hunt,  after 
all,"  said  Frank. 

"  Neither  do  I,"  said  Archie.  "  I  say, 
Frank,"  he  continued,  "  I  wish  we  could  repro- 
duce in  our  museum  the  scene  we  have  just 
passed  through." 

"  So  do  I.  If  we  could  represent  the  buck 
in  the  act  of  upsetting  us,  it  would  be  our 
'  master-piece,'  would  n't  it?  But  I  am  afraid 
that  is  further  than  our  ingenuity  extends." 

The  boys  drew  on  their  clothes,  which  were 
but  partially  dry,  and,  after  pulling  ashore  to 
get  the  hounds,  which  had  kept  up  a  loud 
barking  all  the  time,  they  turned  the  boat's 
head  toward  home. 

After  changing  their  clothes  and  eating  a 
hearty    dinner- — during    which    they    related 
their  adventure  to  Mrs.  Nelson  and  Julia— 
they  carefully  removed  the  buck's  skin,  and 
hung  it  up  in  the  shop  by  a  fire  to  dry. 

Their  guns  were  found  to  be  none  the  worse 
for  their  ducking;  the  loads,  of  course,  were 
wet,  and  had  to  be  drawn,  but  a  good  coat  of 


222       Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

oil.  and  a  thorough  rubbing  inside  and  out, 
made  them  look  as  good  as  new. 

During  the  afternoon,  as  the  boys  sat  on 
the  piazza  in  front  of  the  house,  talking  over 
the  events  of  the  morning,  their  attention  was 
attracted  by  a  combat  that  was  going  on  be- 
tween one  of  Frank's  pet  kingbirds  and  a  red- 
headed woodpecker.  The  latter  was  flying  zig- 
zag through  the  air,  and  the  kingbird  was  peck- 
ing him  most  unmercifully.  At  length  the 
woodpecker  took  refuge  in  a  tree  that  stood  on 
the  bank  of  the  creek,  and  then  seemed  per- 
fectly at  his  ease.  He  always  kept  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  tree,  and  the  kingbird,  active 
as  he  was,  could  not  reach  him.  His  loud, 
angry  twittering  soon  brought  his  mate  to  his 
assistance,  and  then  the  woodpecker  found 
himself  between  two  fires.  After  trying  in 
vain  to  elude  them,  he  suddenly  popped  into  a 
hole  in  the  tree,  and  stuck  out  his  long  bill,  as 
if  defying  them  to  enter.  The  kingbirds  were 
completely  outwitted;  and,  after  making  two 
or  three  angry  darts  at  the  hole  in  which  their 
cunning  enemy  had  taken  refuge,  they  settled 
down  on  the  branches  close  by  to  wait  until  he 
should  show  himself.  They  had  no  intention 
of  giving  up  the  contest.  The  woodpecker 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      223 

seemed  to  take  matters  very  coolly,  and  im- 
proved his  time  by  pounding  away  indus- 
triously on  the  inside  of  the  tree.  Occasion- 
ally he  would  thrust  his  head  out  of  the  hole, 
but,  seeing  his  enemies  still  on  the  watch,  he 
would  dodge  back,  and  go  to  work  again. 

After  waiting  fully  a  quarter  of  an  hour  for 
him  to  come  out,  and  seeing  that  the  king- 
birds had  no  idea  of  '•  raising  the  siege,"  Ar- 
chie concluded  (to  use  his  own  expression) 
that  he  "  might  as  well  lend  a  little  assist- 
ance." So  he  ran  round  to  the  shop,  and,  hav- 
ing procured  an  ax,  he  went  up  to  the  tree,  and 
dealt  it  a  heavy  blow.  The  next  moment  the 
woodpecker  flew  out,  and  the  kingbirds  were 
after  him  in  an  instant.  They  followed  him 
until  he  reached  the  woods,  a;id  then  returned 
to  the  cottage. 


224      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 
CHAPTER  XIII. 

A   'COON    HUNT. 

WE  might  relate  many  more  interesting 
events  that  transpired  before  the  hunting  sea- 
son set  in ;  we  might  tell  of  the  "  tall  times  " 
the  boys  had  whipping  the  trout-streams,  of 
the  trials  of  speed  that  came  off  on  the  river, 
when  it  turned  out,  as  Archie  had  predicted, 
that  Charles  Morgan's  sloop  "  couldn't  sail 
worth  a  row  of  pins;"  and  we  might  tell  of 
many  more  desperate  "  scrapes  "  that  came  off 
between  the  bully  and  his  sworn  enemies,  the 
Hillers;  but  we  fear,  reader,  you  are  already 
weary  of  the  Young  Naturalist's  home-life,  and 
long  to  see  him  engaging  in  his  favorite  recrea- 
tions— roaming  through  the  woods,  with  his 
gun  on  his  shoulder,  or  dealing  death  among 
the  ducks  on  the  river. 

Well,  autumn  came  at  length ;  and,  early  one 
chilly,  moonlight  evening,  Frank  and  his 
cousin,  accompanied  by  George  and  Harry, 
might  have  been  seen  picking  their  way  across 
the  meadow  at  the  back  of  Mrs.  Nelson's  lot, 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      225 

and  directing  their  course  toward  a  large  corn- 
field, that  lay  almost  in  the  edge  of  a  piece  of 
thick  woods,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant. 

They  had  started  on  a  'coon-hunt.  Frank 
and  Harry,  who  were  two  of  the  best  shots  in 
the  village,  were  armed  with  their  double-bar- 
reled shot-guns,  and  the  others  carried  axes 
and  lanterns. 

We  have  said  that  it  was  a  moonlight  night, 
but  so  far  as  a  view  of  the  chase  was  con- 
cerned, the  light  of  the  moon  would  benefit 
them  but  little;  and  the  boys  carried  the  lan- 
terns, not  to  be  able  to  follow  the  'coon  when 
started,  but  to  discover  him  when  "  treed," 
and  to  assist  them  in  picking  their  way 
through  the  woods. 

During  a  raccoon-hunt,  but  little  is  seen 
either  of  the  dogs  or  the  game.  The  woods, 
let  the  moon  shine  ever  so  bright,  are  pitch- 
dark  ;  and  the  dogs  rely  on  their  scent  and  the 
hunter  trusts  to  his  ears. 

The  'coon  seldom  strays  far  from  his  tree, 
and,  of  course,  when  started,  draws  a  "  bee- 
line  "  for  home,  and  the  game  is  for  the  dogs — . 
which  should  be  very  swift,  hardy  animals, 
having  the  courage  to  tackle  him  if  he  should 
turn  at  bay — to  overtake  him,  and  compel  him 


226      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

to  take  to  some  small  tree,  where  he  can  be 
easily  shaken  off  or  shot.  But  if  he  succeeds  in 
reaching  home,  which  he  always  makes  in  a 
large  tree,  he  is  safe,  unless  the  hunter  is  will- 
ing to  go  to  work  and  fell  the  tree. 

The  boys  were  accompanied  by  their  dogs, 
which  followed  close  at  their  heels.  Lightfoot 
was  about  to  take  his  first  lesson  in  hunting, 
but  Brave  and  Sport  evidently  kneAv  perfectly 
well  what  the  game  was  to  be,  and  it  was  diffi- 
cult to  restrain  them. 

A  few  moments'  walk  brought  them  to  the 
corn-field.  A  rail-fence  ran  between  the  field 
and  the  woods ;  and  two  of  the  boys,  after  light- 
ing their  lanterns,  climbed  over  the  fence,  and 
the  others  waved  their  hands  to  the  dogs,  and 
ordered  them  to  "  hunt  'em  up."  Brave  and 
Sport  were  off  in  an  instant,  and  Lightfoot 
was  close  at  their  heels,  mechanically  follow- 
ing their  motions,  and  evidently  wondering  at 
their  strange  movements. 

The  boys  moved  quietly  along  the  fence,  and, 
in  a  few  moments,  a  quick,  sharp  yelp  from 
Brave  announced  that  he  had  started  the  first 
'coon.  The  boys  cheered  on  the  dogs,  and 
presently  a  dark  object  appeared,  coming  at 
full  speed  through  the  corn,  and  passed,  at  a 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      227 

single  bound,  over  the  fence.  The  dogs,  bark- 
ing fierce  and  loud,  at  every  jump,  were  close 
at  his  heels,  and  both  they  and  the  game  speed- 
ily disappeared  in  the  darkness.  The  boys 
followed  after,  picking  their  way  through  the 
bushes  with  all  possible  speed. 

The  chase  was  a  short  one,  for  the  dogs  soon 
broke  out  in  a  regular,  continuous  barking, 
which  announced  that  the  'coon  was  treed. 
The  hunters,  guided  by  the  noise,  soon  came 
in  sight  of  them,  standing  at  the  foot  of  a 
small  sapling.  Brave  and  Sport  took  matters 
very  easily,  and  seemed  satisfied  to  await  the 
arrival  of  the  boys,  but  Lightfoot  had  caught 
sight  of  the  'coon  as  he  was  ascending  the  tree, 
and  was  bounding  into  the  air,  and  making 
every  exertion  to  reach  him. 

Frank  and  Harry  stood  ready  with  their 
guns  to  shoot  him,  and  the  others  held  their 
lanterns  aloft,  and  peered  up  into  the  top  of 
the  tree,  to  discover  his  hiding-place;  but  noth- 
ing could  be  seen  of  him.  The  sapling  had 
grown  up  rather  high,  and  all  objects  outside 
of  the  circle  of  light  made  by  their  lanterns 
seemed  to  be  concealed  by  Egyptian  darkness. 

"  He's  up  there,  I  know,"  said  Archie. 

And,  laying  down  his  ax  and  lantern,  he 


228      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

caught  hold  of  the  sapling,  and  shook  it  with 
all  his  strength.  But  it  was  a  little  too  large 
for  him  to  manage,  and,  although  it  swayed 
considerably,  the  'coon  could  easily  retain  his 
hold. 

"  Well,"  said  Archie,  "  if  he  will  not  come 
down  to  us,  we'll  have  to  go  up  to  him,  I  sup- 
pose." 

And  he  commenced  ascending  the  tree.  Ar- 
chie was  a  good  hand  at  climbing,  and  had 
shaken  more  than  one  'coon  from  his  roost, 
and  he  carefully  felt  his  way  up,  until  he  had 
almost  reached  the  top  of  the  sapling,  when, 
not  wishing  to  trust  his  weight  on  the  small 
limbs,  he  stopped,  and  again  shook  the  tree, 
and  this  time  with  better  success.  There  was 
an  angry  snarling  among  the  branches  above 
his  head,  and  the  'coon,  after  trying  in  vain 
to  retain  his  hold,  came  tumbling  to  the 
ground. 

Quick  as  thought  the  dogs  were  upon  him, 
and,  although  he  made  a  most  desperate  re- 
sistance, he  was  speedily  overpowered  and 
killed. 

The  boys  picked  up  their  prize,  and  went 
back  to  the  corn-field.  The  dogs  were  again 
sent  in,  and  another  'coon  was  started,  which, 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      229 

like  the  first,  "  drew  a  bee-line  "  for  the  woods, 
with  the  dogs  close  behind,  and  the  boys, 
worked  up  to  the  highest  pitch  of  excitement, 
followed  after  as  fast  as  their  legs  could  carry 
them. 

The  'coon  had  managed  to  get  a  good  start 
of  his  pursuers,  and  he  led  them  a  long  chase 
through  a  low,  swampy  part  of  the  woods,  to 
the  top  of  a  ridge,  where  the  heavy  timber 
grew;  and  when,  at  length,  the  boys  came  up 
with  the  dogs,  they  found  them  standing  at 
the  foot  of  a  large  maple  fully  ten  feet  in  cir- 
cumference. 

"  There !  "  exclaimed  George,  "  the  rascal  has 
succeeded  in  reaching  home.  Good-by,  'coon !  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Frank,  leaning  on  the  muzzle 
of  his  gun,  and  wiping  the  perspiration  from 
his  forehead,  "  we're  minus  that  'coon,  easily 
enough,  unless  we  wait  until  morning,  and 
cut  the  tree  down." 

"  Look  here,  boys,"  suddenly  exclaimed 
George,  who  had  been  holding  his  lantern 
above  his  head,  and  examining  the  sides  of 
the  tree ;  "  did  you  ever  see  a  tree  look  like 
this  before?" 

As  they  moved  around  to  the  side  wheie 
George  stood,  Archie  called  out, 


230      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

"  There  must  be  a  big  nest  of  'coons  in  here ; 
the  tree  is  completely  skinned." 

"  Yes,"  said  Frank,  "  we've  accidentally 
stumbled  upon  a  regular  'coon-tree.  There 
must  be  a  big  family  of  them  living  here.  The 
tree  looks  as  if  some  one  had  taken  an  ax  and 
cleaned  off  the  bark.  "  But,"  he  added,  "  find- 
ing where  the  'coons  have  been  and  catching 
them  are  two  very  different  things." 

"What  do  you  mean?"  inquired  Archie. 
"  You  don't  pretend  to  say  that  the  'coons  are 
not  in  the  tree?  " 

"  Certainly  I  do.  I  would  n't  be  afraid  to 
stake  Brave  against  any  little  cur  in  the  vil- 
lage that  the  'coon  the  dogs  have  just  followed 
here  is  the  only  one  in  the  tree." 

"What  makes  you  think  so?" 

"  Why,  now  is  their  feeding-time,  and  all 
the  'coons  in  this  part  of  the  woods  are  in  the 
corn-field.  It  would  n't  pay  to  cut  down  this 
big  tree  for  one  'coon;  so  let's  go  home  and 
go  to  bed,  and  early  to-morrow  morning  we 
will  come  back  here  and  bag  our  game." 

The  boys  agreed  to  this,  and  they  whistled 
to  their  dogs,  and  started  through  the  woods 
toward  home. 

The  next  morning,  at  the  first  peep  of  day, 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      231 

they  again  set  out,  and  in  half  an  hour  arrived 
at  the  'coon-tree. 

The  boys  knew  that  they  had  something  to 
accomplish  before  they  could  secure  their 
game,  but  they  were  not  the  ones  to  shun  hard 
work.  They  had  frequently  cut  down  trees 
for  a  single  'coon,  and  they  felt  confident  that 
there  were  at  least  three  of  the  animals  in  the 
tree,  and  they  were  willing  to  work  for  them. 

Archie  and  George  were  armed,  as  on  the 
preceding  night,  with  axes,  and,  after  pulling 
off  their  coats,  they  placed  themselves  on  op- 
posite sides  of  the  tree,  and  set  manfully  to 
work.  Harry  and  Frank  stood  by,  ready  to 
take  their  places  when  they  grew  tired,  and  the 
dogs  seated  themselves  on  the  ground  close 
by,  with  their  tongues  hanging  out  of  the  sides 
of  their  mouths,  and  now  and  then  giving  vent 
to  an  impatient  whine. 

The  boys  worked  for  an  hour  and  a  half — 
taking  their  turns  at  chopping — almost  with- 
out speaking.  At  length  the  top  of  the  tree 
began  to  waver,  and  a  loud  crack  announced 
that  it  was  about  to  fall.  Frank  and  Archie 
were  chopping,  and  the  blows  of  their  axes  re- 
sounded with  redoubled  force,  and  the  other 
boys  caught  up  the  guns,  and  ran  off  in  the 


232      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

direction  in  which  the  tree  was  about  to  fall, 
followed  by  Sport  and  Lightfoot,  and  Brave 
stationed  himself  close  behind  his  master,  and 
barked  and  whined  furiously. 

A  few  sturdy  blows  finished  the  business, 
and  the  tree  began  to  sink — slowly  at  first, 
then  with  a  rushing  sound,  and  struck  tlie 
earth  with  a  tremendous  crash.  In  an  instant 
boys  and  dogs  were  among  the  branches.  The 
'coons — some  of  which  were  not  injured  in  the 
least  by  the  fall — scattered  in  every  direction ; 
and  one  of  them  —  a  fine,  large  fellow  — 
bounded  off  through  the  bushes. 

Frank  discovered  him  just  in  time,  and,  fear- 
ing that  he  would  lose  sight  of  him,  he  Inirled 
his  ax  at  him  with  all  his  strength ;  but  it  went 
wide  of  the  mark,  and  Frank  started  in  hot 
pursuit.  He  was  very  swift  of  foot,  and  there 
seemed  to  be  no  limit  to  his  endurance,  but, 
in  running  through  the  bushes,  the  'coon  had 
decidedly  the  advantage.  Frank  was  not  slow 
to  discover  this,  and  he  began  to  think  about 
sending  his  ax  after  him  again,  when  he  heard 
a  crashing  in  the  bushes  behind  him,  and  the 
grayhound  passed  him  like  the  wind,  and  two 
or  three  of  his  tremendous  bounds  brought  him 
up  with  the  'coon. 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      233 

Frank  knew  very  well  that  Lightfoot  had 
something  of  a  job  before  him,  for  it  requires 
a  very  tough,  active  doi?  to  "  handle  "  a  full- 
grown  'coon  when  he  is  cornered.  But  Frank 
thought  it  was  a  capital  time  to  judge  of  the 
grayhound's  "  grit ; "  so  he  cheered  him 
on,  and  hurried  forward  to  witness  the 
fight. 

As  Lightfoot  came  up,  he  made  a  grab  at  the 
'coon,  which,  quick  as  a  flash,  eluded  him,  and, 
when  the  hound  turned  upon  him,  the  'coon 
gave  him  one  severe  bite,  when  Lightfoot  ut- 
tered a  dismal  howl,  and,  holding  his  nose 
close  to  the  ground,  beat  a  hasty  retreat;  and 
the  Young  Naturalist  could  not  induce  him  to 
return. 

During  the  fight,  short  as  it  was,  Frank  had 
gained  considerably,  and,  as  the  coon  turned 
to  make  off,  he  again  threw  his  ax  at  him, 
which,  true  to  its  aim,  struck  the  'coon  on  the 
head,  and  stretched  him  lifeless  on  the  ground. 

Meanwhile  Archie  was  endeavoring  to  se- 
cure his  'coon,  under  rather  more  difficult  cir- 
cumstances. 

As  soon  as  the  tree  had  begun  to  fall,  Archie 
dropped  his  ax,  seized  a  short  club  that  lay 
near  him  on  the  ground,  and,  discovering  a 


234      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

'coon  making  for  the  bushes,  he  started  after 
him  at  full  speed. 

The  animal  appeared  to  run  heavily,  as  if 
he  had  been  partially  stunned  by  the  falling  of 
the  tree;  and  Archie  had  followed  him  but  a 
short  distance,  when  he  had  the  satisfaction  of 
discovering  that  he  was  gaining  at  every  step. 
The  'coon  seemed  to  understand  that  his 
chance  of  escape  was  rather  small ;  and,  after 
various  windings  and  twistings,  commenced 
ascending  a  small  tree.  Archie  ran  forward 
with  all  possible  speed,  with  the  hope  of  reach- 
ing the  tree  before  he  could  climb  out  of  the 
way.  The  'coon  moved  but  slowly,  and  Ar- 
chie felt  sure  of  his  prize;  and,  as  soon  as  he 
came  within  the  proper  distance,  he  struck  a 
powerful  blow  at  the  animal,  but  he  was  just 
out  of  reach,  and  the  club  was  shivered  to 
pieces  against  a  tree. 

Archie,  however,  did  not  hesitate  a  moment, 
but,  placing  his  hands  on  the  tree,  commenced 
climbing  after  him.  The  'coon  ascended  to  the 
topmost  branch,  and  looked  down  on  his 
enemy,  growling  and  snapping  his  teeth,  as 
if  to  warn  him  that  he  intended  to  make  a  des- 
perate resistance;  but  Archie  was  not  in  the 
least  intimidated,  and,  reaching  the  branch 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      235 

on  which  the  'coon  was  seated,  he  shook  it 
violently,  and  the  animal  tumbled  to  the 
ground,  and,  as  soon  as  he  could  regain  his 
feet,  started  off  again. 

Archie  descended  as  quickly  as  possible,  and 
started  in  pursuit,  hoping  to  overtake  his  game 
before  he  could  again  take  to  a  tree.  There 
was  an  abundance  of  large  trees  growing  in 
the  woods,  and,  if  the  'coon  should  take  it  into 
his  head  to  ascend  one  of  them,  Archie  might 
whistle  for  his  game. 

The  young  hunter  well  understood  this,  and 
he  "  put  in  his  best  licks,"  as  he  afterward  re- 
marked, and,  in  a  few  moments,  had  almost 
overtaken  him,  and  began  to  look  around  for 
something  to  strike  him  with,  when  the  'coon, 
as  if  guessing  his  intention,  suddenly  turned 
and  ran  up  a  large  tree  that  stood  close  by, 
and,  crawling  out  on  a  limb,  about  fifty  feet 
from  the  ground,  he  settled  himself  down,  as 
if  he  had  concluded  to  take  matters  more 
easily. 

This  was  discouraging;  and  Archie  seated 
himself  on  a  log  under  the  tree,  and  for  a  mo- 
ment thought  seriously  of  giving  up  the  chase. 
But  the  'coon  was  a  fine,  fat  fellow,  and  his 
skin  would  make  a  valuable  addition  to  the 


236      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

museum,  and,  besides,  he  had  followed  him  so 
far  already,  that  he  was  reluctant  to  go  back  to 
his  companions  without  him,  and,  on  second 
thought,  he  concluded  that  he  would  not  go 
back  unless  he  could  carry  the  'coon  with  him. 

He  first  thought  of  ascending  the  tree,  but, 
after  taking  a  hasty  survey  of  it,  he  abandoned 
the  idea.  The  tree  was  partially  decayed;  in 
fact,  there  was  but  one  sound  limb  in  it  that 
Archie  could  discover,  and  that  was  about  four 
feet  above  the  one  on  which  the  'Coon  was 
seated,  and  stretched  out  directly  over  it. 

Archie  did  not  like  the  idea  of  trusting  him- 
self among  the  unsound  limbs,  and,  besides,  the 
cunning  animal  had  crawled  out  to  the  ex- 
treme end  of  one  of  the  decayed  branches, 
which  bent  beneath  his  weight,  and  the  young 
hunter,  of  course,  could  not  follow  him. 

There  was  only  one  way  that  Archie  could 
discover  to  bring  him  down;  and  he  straight- 
way opened  upon  the  devoted  'coon  a  tremen 
dous  shower  of  clubs  and  sticks.  He  was  a 
very  accurate  thrower,  and,  for  some  time,  had 
hopes  of  being  able  to  bring  down  the  'coon; 
but,  although  the  missiles  frequently  hit  him, 
Archie  could  not  throw  them  with  sufficient 
force;  and  he  again  turned  his  attention  to  the 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      237 

tree.  Throwing  his  arms  around  it,  he  com- 
menced working  his  way  up.  The  bark  was 
very  smooth  and  slippery,  and  the  lowest  limb 
was  the  one  on  which  the  'coon  had  taken 
refuge;  but  he  kept  steadily  at  work,  and 
his  progress,  though  slow,  was  sure,  and  he 
reached  the  limb;  and,  bearing  as  little  of  his 
weight  as  possible  upon  it,  he  drew  himself  up 
to  the  sound  limb  above. 

After  testing  it  thoroughly,  to  make  sure 
that  it  would  sustain  his  weight,  he  com- 
menced walking  out  on  the  branch  on  which 
the  'coon  was  seated,  keeping  a  firm  hold  of  the 
limb  above  his  head.  He  had  made  scarcely 
a  dozen  steps,  when  there  was  a  loud  crack,  and 
the  branch  on  which  he  was  standing  broke 
into  fragments,  and  fell  to  the  ground  with  a 
crash,  carrying  the  'coon  with  it,  and  leaving 
Archie  hanging  in  the  air,  fifty  feet  from  the 
ground. 

Not  in  the  least  terrified  at  his  dangerous 
situation,  the  young  hunter  coolly  swung  him- 
self up  on  the  limb,  and,  crawling  carefully 
back  to  the  tree,  slid  rapidly  down  the  trunk, 
and,  as  if  nothing  had  happened,  ran  to  the 
place  where  the  'coon  had  fallen,  hoping  that 
at  last  he  was  secured. 


238      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

But  he  was  again  disappointed.  Nothing 
was  to  be  seen  of  the  animal,  and  only  a  few 
drops  of  blood  on  the  leaves  indicated  the 
direction  in  which  he  had  gone.  This  quickly 
caught  Archie's  eye,  and  he  began  to  follow  up 
the  trail,  which  led  toward  a  creek  that  flowed 
close  by.  But  when  he  arrived  upon  its  bank 
he  was  again  at  fault — the  trail  was  lost;  and, 
while  he  was  running  up  and  down  the  bank, 
searching  for  it,  he  happened  to  cast  his  eye 
toward  the  opposite  side  of  the  creek,  and  there 
was  his  'coon,  slowly  ascending  a  tall  stump 
that  stood  at  the  water's  edge. 

Archie  could  not  refrain  from  giving  a  shout 
of  joy,  for  he  was  confident  that  the  chase 
would  soon  be  over;  and  he  hurried,  impa- 
tiently, up  and  down  the  bank  to  find  some 
place  to  cross,  and  finally  discovered  a  small 
tree  lying  in  the  water,  whose  top  reached  al- 
most to  the  opposite  bank.  The  'coon  had  un- 
doubtedly crossed  on  this  bridge;  and  Archie 
sprang  upon  it.  It  shook  considerably,  but  he 
kept  on,  and  had  almost  reached  the  opposite 
side,  when  the  tree  broke,  and  he  disappeared 
in  the  cold  water.  He  rose  immediately,  and 
shaking  the  water  from  his  face,  struck  out 
for  the  shore,  puffing  and  blowing  like  a  por- 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      239 

poise.  A  few  lusty  strokes  brought  him  to  the 
bank,  and,  as  he  picked  up  a  handful  of  stones, 
he  said  to  himself, 

"  I  guess  I'm  all  right  now.  If  I  could 
only  have  found  some  stones  when  I  treed  that 
'coon  in  the  woods,  he  would  not  have  been  up 
there  now,  and  I  should  not  have  got  this  wet 
hide.  But  we'll  soon  settle  accounts  now." 

As  we  have  said,  the  'coon  had  taken  refuge 
in  a  high  stump.  The  branches  had  all  fallen 
off,  with  the  exception  of  one  short  one,  about 
two  feet  from  the  top ;  and  the  'coon,  after  try- 
ing in  vain  to  squeeze  himself  into  a  small 
hole,  about  half-way  up  the  stump,  settled 
down  on  this  limb,  and  appeared  to  be 
awaiting  his  fate. 

Archie  took  a  favorable  position,  and,  select- 
ing a  stone,  hurled  it  with  all  his  force  at  the 
'coon.  It  whizzed  harmlessly  by,  close  to  his 
head;  but  the  next  brought  him  to  the  ground, 
dead. 

"There!"  exclaimed  the  young  hunter,  as 
he  shouldered  his  prize,  and  walked  up  the 
creek  to  find  a  crossing-place,  "  I've  worked 
pretty  hard  for  'coons,  first  and  last,  but  this 
beats  all  the  hunts  I  ever  engaged  in." 

He  at  length  reached  a   place  where  the 


240      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

water  was  about  knee-deep,  waded  across  the 
creek,  and  started  through  the  woods  to  find 
his  companions.  When  he  arrived  at  the  place 
where  they  had  felled  the  tree,  he  saw  Harry 
sitting  on  a  log,  with  Frank's  gun  in  his  hand, 
but  nothing  was  to  be  seen  of  the  other  boys. 

As  soon  as  the  latter  discovered  Archie,  he 
burst  into  a  loud  laugh. 

"  No  doubt  you  think  it  a  good  joke,"  said 
Archie,  as  he  came  up,  "  but  I  don't.  It  isn't 
a  funny  thing  to  tramp  through  the  woods,  on 
a  cold  day  like  this,  with  your  clothes  wring- 
ing wet.  But  I've  got  the  'coon." 

"  You  must  have  had  a  tough  time  catching 
him,"  said  Harry.  "  But  let  us  go  down  to 
the  camp." 

As  they  walked  along,  Archie  related  his 
adventures;  and,  when  he  told  about  being 
"  dumped  in  the  creek,"  Harry  laughed  louder 
than  eyer. 

-  A  few  moments'  walk  brought  them  to  what 
Harry  had  called  the  "  camp."  It  was  in  a 
little  grove  of  evergreens,  .on  the  banks  of  a 
clear,  dancing  trout-brook.  A  place  about 
forty  feet  square  had  been  cleared  of  the  trees 
and  bushes,  and  in  it  stood  a  small,  neatly- 
built  log-cabin,  which  Frank  and  some  of  his 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      241 

companions  had  erected  the  winter  previous. 

Near  the  middle  of  the  cabin  a  hole,  about 
four  feet  square,  had  been  dug,  and  in  this  a 
fire  was  burning  brightly;  and  a  hole  in  the 
roof,  directly  over  it,  did  duty  both  as  chimney 
and  window. 

On  the  floor,  near  the  fire — or,  rather,  there 
was  no  floor,  the  ground  serving  for  that  pur- 
pose— stood  some  tin  dishes,  which  one  of  the 
boys  had  just  brought  to  light  from  a  corner 
of  the  cabin,  four  plates,  as  many  knives  and 
forks,  two  large  platters,  a  coffee-pot,  four 
quart-cups,  and  a  pan  containing  some  trout, 
which  George  had  caught  in  the  brook,  all 
cleaned  and  ready  for  the  spit,  and  there  was 
also  a  large  plate  of  bread  and  butter. 

Frank,  who  always  acted  as  cook  on  these 
expeditions,  and  knew  how  to  get  up  a  dinner 
that  would  tempt  an  epicure,  was  kneeling  be- 
fore the  fire,  engaged  in  skinning  some 
squirrels  which  Brave  had  treed  for  him. 

George  was  in  front  of  the  cabin,  chopping 
wood;  and  close  by  the  door  lay  five  'coons — 
the  fruits  of  the  morning's  hunt;  and  near 
them  lay  the  dogs,  fast  asleep. 

Such  was  the  ?cene  presented  when  Harry 
and  Archie  burst  in  up^n  the  camp.  The  lat- 
ter was  greeted  with  a  loud  laugh. 


242      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

"  Well,  boys,"  said  he,  as  he  threw  his  'coon 
down  with  the  others,  "  you  may  laugh,  but  I 
\vish  some  of  you  were  obliged  to  go  through 
what  I  did.  I  was  bound  to  have  the  'coon,  if 
I  had  to  follow  him  clear  to  Moosehead  Lake." 

"  That's  the  way  to  talk,"  said  Frank. 
"  Now,  throw  yourself  down  by  the  fire,  and 
I'll  soon  be  ready  to  give  you  something  to  eat. 
A  cup  or  two  of  hot  coffee  will  set  you  all  right 
again." 

Archie's  ducking  and  his  long  walk  in  his 
wet  clothes  had  chilled  him  completely 
through,  and  he  was  very  willing  to  comply 
with  his  cousin's  suggestion,  and  he  drew  up 
as  close  as  possible  to  the  fire. 

When  Frank  had  finished  skinning  the 
squirrels,  he  stuck  them  up  before  the  fire,  on 
spits,  to  roast.  The  trout  he  served  in  the  same 
manner ;  and,  raking  out  a  few  live  coals  from 
the  fire,  he  placed  the  coffee-pot  upon  them, 
when  the  work  of  getting  breakfast  began  in 
earnest. 

In  the  course  of  half  an  hour  the  impatience 
of  the  hungry  hunters  (whose  appetites  had 
been  sharpened  by  the  savory  smell  of  the 
cooking  viands)  was  relieved  by  Frank's  wel- 
come invitation — 

"  Now,  boys,  you  may  help  yourselves." 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      243 

And  they  did  help  themselves  most  bounti- 
fully. 

Archie  kept  his  place  by  the  fire,  and  a  plate 
filled  with  bread  and  butter,  and  roasted 
squirrel  and  trout,  and  a  cup  of  coffee,  were 
passed  over  to  him ;  and,  supporting  himself 
on  one  elbow,  he  did  them  ample  justice. 

The  dogs  were  well  supplied  with  what  re- 
mained of  the  breakfast;  and,  after  washing 
the  dishes  in  the  clear  water  of  the  brook,  and 
placing  them  carefully  away  for  future  use, 
the  boys  seated  themselves  around  the  fire,  and 
Harry  exclaimed  as  he  settled  himself  back 
into  a  comfortable  position, 

"  Give  us  a  story,  Frank." 

"  Well,"  answered  Frank,  after  thinking 
a  few  moments,  "  I  remember  one  that,  I  think, 
will  interest  you.  You  will  probably  remem- 
ber, Archie,  that,  during  the  last  visit  we  made 
at  Uncle  Joe's,  we  met  his  brother  Dick,  who 
has  passed  forty  years  of  his  life  among  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  You  will  remember,  also, 
that  he  and  I  went  mink-trapping,  and  camped 
out  all  night,  and  during  the  evening  he  re- 
lated to  me  some  of  his  adventures,  and  wound 
up  with  the  following  story  of  his  '  chum,'  Bill. 
Lawson.  I  will  try  to  give  it,  as  nearly  as  pos- 
sible, in  his  own  words. 


244      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

BILL  LAWSOX'S  REVENGE. 

"  THIS  Bill  Lawson,"  said  Dick,  knocking 
the  ashes  from  his  pipe,  "  was  some  in  his  day. 
I  have  told  you  about  his  trappin'  qualities— 
that  there  was  only  one  man  in  the  country 
that  could  lay  over  him  any,  an'  that  was  ole 
Bob  Kelly.  But  Bill  had  some  strange  ways 
about  him,  sometimes,  that  I  could  not  under- 
stand, an'  the  way  he  acted  a'most  made  me 
think  he  was  crazy.  Sometimes  you  couldn't 
find  a  more  jolly  feller  than  he  was ;  an'  then, 
again,  he  would  settle  down  into  one  of  his 
gloomy  spells,  an'  I  couldn't  get  a  word  out  of 
him.  He  would  sit  by  the  camp-fire,  an'  first 
fall  to  musing;  then  he  would  cover  his  face 
with  his  hands,  an'  I  could  see  the  big,  scald- 
ing tears  trickle  through  his  fingers,  an'  his 
big  frame  would  quiver  and  shake  like  a 
tree  in  a  gale  of  wind ;  then  he  would  pull  out 
his  long,  heavy  huntin'-knife,  an*  I  could  sec1 
that  he  had  several  notches  cut  in  the  handle. 
.He  would  count  these  over  an'  over  again; 
an'  I  could  see  a  dark  scowl  settle  on  his  face, 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      245 

that  would  have  made  me  tremble  if  I  had  not 
known  that  I  was  his  only  sworn  friend,  an' 
he  would  mutter, 

"  '  Only  seven !  only  seven !  There  ought  to 
be  eight.  There  is  one  left.  He  must  not 
escape  me.  No,  no ;  he  must  die ! ' 

"  An'  then  he  would  sheath  his  knife,  an' 
roll  himself  up  in  his  blanket,  an'  cry  himself 
to  sleep  like  a  child. 

"  I  had  been  with  old  Bill  a'most  ten  years 
— ever  since  I  was  a  boy — but  he  had  never 
told  me  the  cause  of  his  trouble.  I  didn't  dare 
to  ask  him,  for  the  ole  man  had  curious  ways 
sometimes,  an'  I  knowed  he  wouldn't  think  it 
kind  of  me  to  go  pryin'  into  his  affairs,  an'  I 
knowed,  too,  that  some  day  he  would  tell  me 
all  about  it. 

"  One  night — we  had  been  followin'  up  a  bar 
nil  day — we  camped- on  the  side  of  a  high 
mountain.  It  was  very  cold.  The  wind  howled 
through  the  branches  of  the  trees  above  our 
heads,  makin'  us  pull  our  blankets  closer 
about  us  an'  draw  as  nigh  to  the  fire  as  possi- 
ble. 

"  Ole  Bill  sat,  as  usual,  leanin'  his  head  on 
his  hands,  an'  lookin'  steadily  into  the  fire. 
Neither  of  us  had  spoken  for  more  than  an 


246      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

hour.  At  len'th  the  ole  man  raised  his  head, 
an'  broke  the  silence  by  sayin", 

"  '  Dick,  you  have  allers  been  a  good  friend 
to  me,  an'  have  stuck  by  me  like  a  brother, 
through  thick  an'  thin,  an',  I  s'pcse,  you  think 
it  is  mighty  unkind  in  me  to  keep  any  thing 
from  you;  an'  so  it  is.  An'  now  I'll  tell  you 
all.' 

"  He  paused  a  moment,  an',  \vipin'  the  per- 
spiration from  his  forehead  with  his  coat- 
sleeve,  continued,  a'niost  in  a  whisper, 

"  *  Dick,  I  was  not  allers  as  you  see  me  now 
— all  alone  in  the  world.  Once  I  was  the  hap- 
piest boy  west  of  the  mountains.  My  father 
was  a  trader,  livin'  on  the  Colorado  River.  I 
had  a  kind  mother,  two  as  handsome  sisters 
as  the  sun  ever  shone  on,  an'  my  brother  was 
one  of  the  best  trappers,  for  a  boy,  I  ever  see. 
He  was  a  good  deal  younger  nor  I  was,  but  he 
was  the  sharer  of  all  my  boyish  joys  and  sor- 
rows. We  had  hunted  together,  an'  slept  un- 
der the  same  blanket  ever  since  we  were  big 
enough  to  walk.  Oh!  I  was  happy  then!  This 
earth  seemed  to  me  a  paradise.  Now  look  at 
me — alone  in  the  world,  not  one  livin'  bein'  to 
claim  me  as  a  relation ;  an'  all  this  was  brought 
upon  me  in  a  single  day.' 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      247 

"  Here  the  ole  man  stopped,  an'  buried  his 
face  in  his  hands;  but,  suddenly  arousin'  him- 
self, he  continued, 

"  '  One  day,  when  the  ice  were  a'most  out  of 
the  river,  father  an'  me  concluded  it  was  about 
time  to  start  on  our  usual  tradin'  expedition ; 
so  we  went  to  work  an'  got  all  our  goods — 
which  consisted  of  beads,  hatchets,  lookin'- 
glasses,  blankets,  an'  such  like — into  the  big 
canoe,  an'  were  goin'  to  start  'arly  in  the 
mornin'  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  Osage  Injuns,  an' 
trade  our  things  for  their  furs.  That  night, 
while  we  were  eatin'  our  supper,  a  party  of 
horsemen  came  gallopin'  an'  yellin'  down  the 
bank  of  the  river,  an',  ridin'  up  to  the  door  of 
the  cabin,  dismounted,  an',  leavin'  their  horses 
to  take  care  of  themselves,  came  in  without 
ceremony.  We  knowed  very  well  who  they 
were.  They  were  a  band  of  outlaws  an'  rob- 
bers, that  had  been  in  the  county  ever  since  I 
could  remember,  an',  bein'  too  lazy  to  make  an 
honest  livin'  by  trappin',  they  went  around 
plunderin'  and  steal  in'  from  every  one  they 
come  across.  They  had  stole  three  or  four 
horses  from  us  an'  had  often  come  to  our  cabin 
an'  called  for  whisky ;  but  that  was  an  article 
father  never  kept  on  hand.  Although  he  was 


248      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

an  ole  trapper,  an'  had  lived  in  the  woods  all 
his  life,  he  never  used  it,  an'  didn't  believe  in 
sellin'  it  to  the  red-skins.  The  captain  of  the 
outlaws  was  a  feller  they  called  "  Mountain 
Tom,"  an'  he  was  meaner  than  the  meanest  In- 
jun I  ever  see.  He  didn't  think  no  more  of 
cuttin'  a  man's  throat  than  you  would  of 
shootin'  a  buck.  The  minute  they  came  into 
the  cabin  we  could  see  that  they  all  had  been 
drinkin'.  They  acted  like  a  lot  of  wild  buffalo- 
bulls,  an',  young  as  I  was,  I  could  see  that  they 
meant  mischief,  an'  I  kuowed  that  our  chance 
for  life  was  small  indeed.  As  I  arterwards 
learned,  they  had  been  up  the  river,  about  two 
miles,  to  a  half-breed's  shanty,  an'  had  found 
half  a  barrel  of  whisky,  an',  arter  killin'  the 
half-breed,  an'  drinkin'  his  liquor,  they  felt 
jest  right  for  a  muss,  an'  had  come  down  to 
our  cabin  on  purpose  for  a  fight. 

"  l  "  Now,  ole  Lawson,"  said  Mountain  Tom, 
leanin'  his  rifle  up  in  the  corner,  "  we  have 
come  down  here  for  whisky.  We  know  you've 
got  some;  so  jest  draw  your  weasel,  if  you 
want  to  save  unpleasant  feelin's;  an'  be 
in  a  hurry  about  it,  too,  for  we're  mighty 
thirsty." 

"  '  "  Tom,"  said  my  father,  "  how  often  have 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      249 

I  told  you  that  I  haven't  got  a  drop  of  liquor 
in  the  shanty?  I  never  had.  I  don't  use  it 
myself,  an'  I  don't  keep  it  for — 

"  '  "  That's  a  lie ! "  yelled  three  or  four  of 
the  band. 

"  *  "  You  a  trader  among  the  Injuns,  an'  not 
keep  whisky?  " 

" ' "  We  know  a  thing  or  two  more  than 
that." 

"  * "  We  have  heard  that  story  often 
enough,"  said  Tom.  "  We  know  you  have  got 
the  liquor,  an'  we  are  goin'  to  get  it  afore  we 
leave  this  shanty.  If  you  won't  bring  it  out 
an'  treat,  like  a  white  man  had  ought  to  do, 
we'll  have  to  look  for  it  ourselves — that's  all. 
Here  boys,"  he  said,  turning  to  his  men,  "  jest 
jump  down  into  the  cellar  an'  hunt  it  up,  'cause 
we  know  he's  got  some.  An'  you,  Jake,"  he 
added,  catching  hold  of  a  big,  ugly-lookin'  fel- 
ler, "  you  stand  here,  an'  shoot  the  first  one 
that  tries  to  get  away." 

"  *  The  men  ran  down  into  the  cellar,  and  we 
could  hear  them  cussin'  an'  swearin',  as  they 
overturned  every  thing  in  the  useless  search. 
My  mother,  a'most  frightened  to  death, 
•adhered  us  children  around  her,  an'  sank  back 
into  the  furtherest  corner.  I  thought  my 


250      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

father  had  gone  crazy ;  he  strode  up  an'  down 
the  floor  of  the  cabin  like  some  caged  wild  ani- 
mal, clenchin'  his  hands  an'  grindin'  his  teeth 
in  a  way  that  showed  that  there  was  plenty  of 
fight  in  him,  if  he  only  had  a  chance  to  let  it 
out  Once  in  awhile  he  would  look  at  his  rifle, 
that  hung  against  the  wall,  then  at  the  man 
that  stood  at  the  top  of  the  cellar-stairs, 
guardin'  us,  as  if  he  had  a'most  made  up  his 
mind  to  begin  a  knock-down  an'  drag-out  fight 
with  the  rascals.  But  then  he  would  look  at 
my  mother  an'  us  children,  back  in  the  corner, 
an'  go  to  pacin'  the  floor  again.  If  we  had 
been  out  of  the  way,  I  know  that  he  would  not 
have  let  them  rummage  about  as  he  did;  he 
would  have  had  a  fight  with  them  that  would 
do  your  eyes  good  to  look  at.  But,  as  it  was, 
I  guess  he  kinder  thought  that  if  he  was  peace- 
able they  would  go  off  an'  leave  us,  arter  they 
found  that  no  whisky  was  to  be  had.  Arter 
searchin'  around  the  cellar  for  more'n  ten 
minutes,  one  of  'em  called  out, 

"  '  "  Wai,  boys,  it's  easy  enough  to  see  that 
the  cuss  has  fooled  us.  Thar's  no  liquor  here. 
He's  hid  it  in  the  woods,  somewhere  'bout 
the  shantee." 

"  <  "  That's  so,"  said  another.     "  I'll  bet  he 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      251 

has  got  plenty  of  whisky  somewhere.  Let's  go 
up  and  hang  him  till  he  tells  us  where  it  is." 

"  * "  No,  no,  that  won't  do,"  said  Mountain 
Tom.  "  You  fellers  are  gettiii'  so  that  you  talk 
like  babies.  Shoot  the  rascal  down.  We've 
had  trouble  enough  with  him.  If  we  can't  get 
the  liquor  here,  there  are  plenty  of  places 
where  we  can  get  it." 

"'"That's  the  talk!"  yelled  the  band. 
"Shoot  him  down!  Tear  him  to  pieces!" 

"  *  The  man  who  was  standin'  at  the  head  of 
the  stairs  heard  all  the  rascals  had  said,  an', 
with  a  yell  of  delight,  he  raised  his  rifle  an' 
drew  a  bead  on  my  mother.  But  the  ole  man 
was  too  quick  for  him.  With  a  bound  like  a 
panther,  he  sprang  across  the  floor,  an', 
grabbin'  the  villain  by  the  throat,  lifted  him 
from  his  feet,  and  throwed  him  down  into  the 
cellar,  an'  in  an  instant  shut  the  door,  an' 
fastened  it  with  a  heavy  bar  of  wood.  Then, 
takin'  down  his  rifle,  he  said  to  us,  a'most  in 
a  whisper, 

"  '  "  Now  run !  run  for  your  lives !  We  must 
cross  the  prairy  an'  get  into  the  woods  afore 
the  rascals  cut  their  way  out.  Run!  quick!  " 

" '  My  mother  took  my  sisters  by  the  hand 
an'  led  them  out,  an'  me  an'  my  brother  fol- 
lowed her.  Father  closed  both  the  windows 


252      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

an'  the  door,  and  fastened  them  on  the  outside. 
All  this  while  the  robbers  had  been  yellin'  an' 
sweariu',  an'  cuttin'  away  at  the  cellar-door 
with  their  tomahawks ;  an'  we  all  knowed  that 
they  would  soon  be  out  an'  arter  us.  Our 
cabin  stood  in  a  large,  natural  prairy,  an'  we 
had  to  travel  full  half  a  mile  acrost  the  open 
ground  afore  we  come  to  the  woods.  My 
father  followed  close  behind  us,  \\  ith  his  rifle, 
ready  to  shoot  the  first  one  that  come  in  sight, 
an'  kept  urgin'  us  to  go  faster.  We  hadn't 
gone  more'n  half  the  distance  acrost  the  prairy, 
when  a  loud  crash  and  yells  of  triumph  told  us, 
plain  enough,  that  the  villains  had  worked 
their  w^ay  out  of  the  cellar.  Then  heavy  blows 
sounded  on  the  window-shutter,  which,  strong 
as  it  was,  we  knowed  could  not  long  hold  out 
ag'in  'em.  In  a  few  minutes  it  was  forced  from 
its  hinges,  an'  Mountain  Tom  sprang  out. 

" ' "  Here  they  are,  boys,"  he  shouted. 
"Come  on!  We'll  Tarn  'em  not  to  hide — " 

" (  The  report  of  father's  rifle  cut  short  his 
words,  an'  Mountain  Tom,  throwin'  his  hands 
high  above  his  head,  sank  to  the  ground  like  a 
log.  By  this  time  the  rest  of  the  band  had 
come  out,  an'  the  bullets  rattled  around  us 
like  hailstones.  My  father  and  brother  both 
fell — the  latter  never  to  rise;  but  father,  al- 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      253 

though  he  had  received  three  bullets,  staggered 
to  his  feet,  an'  follered  along  arter  us,  loadiu' 
his  rifle.  Then  began  the  race  for  life.  It 
seemed  to  me  that  we  flew  over  the  ground,  but 
the  villains  gained  on  us  at  every  step.  Just 
as  we  reached  the  woods,  my  father  called  out, 

"  '  "  Down — down,  every  one  of  you ! 
They're  going  to  shoot  again ! " 

" '  Obeyin'  that  order  was  what  saved  my 
life.  I  throwed  myself  flat  into  the  bushes,  an' 
escaped  unhurt ;  but  both  my  sisters  were  shot 
dead,  an'  my  father  received  another  ball  that 
brought  him  to  the  ground.  My  mother,  in- 
stead of  thinkm'  of  herself,  kneeled  beside  him, 
an'  supported  his  head  in  her  arms.  The  next 
minute  the  outlaws  entered  the  woods,  an'  one 
passed  so  close  to  me  that  I  could  have  touched 
him. 

"  *  "  Wai,  Bill  Lawson,"  said  a  voice  that  I 
knowed  belonged  to  Mountain  Tom,  "  you  see 
I'm  here  again.  I  s'pose  you  kind  o'  thought 
you  had  rubbed  me  out,  didn't  you?  " 

"  '  "  Yes,  I  did,"  said  father — an'  his  voice 
was  so  weak  that  I  could  hardly  hear  him. 

"  '  "  You  won't  have  a  chance  to  draw  a  bead 
on  me  again,  I  guess.  We  shoot  consider'ble 
iharp — don't 


254      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

"<"I  shan't  live  long,"  said  father.  "  But, 
whatever  you  do  to  me,  be  merciful  to  my  wife 
an'—" 

" '  The  dull  thud  of  the  tomahawk  cut  short 
my  father's  dying  prayer,  an'  his  brains  were 
spattered  on  the  bush  where  I  was  concealed ; 
an'  a'most  at  the  same  moment,  another  of  the 
band  buried  his  knife  in  my  mother's  heart.' 

"  Old  Bill  could  go  no  further.  He  buried 
his  face  in  his  hands  an'  cried  like  a  child.  At 
length,  by  a  strong  effort,  he  choked  down  his 
sobs,  and  went  on. 

" '  I  knew  no  more  until  I  found  myself 
lyin'  in  the  cabin  of  an  ole  hunter  who  lived 
about  ten  miles  from  where  we  used  to  live. 
He  had  been  out  huntin',  an'  had  found  me 
lyin'  close  beside  my  father  and  mother.  He 
thought  I  was  dead,  too,  at  first,  but  he  found 
no  wounds  on  me;  so,  arter  buryin'  all  my  rela- 
tives in  one  grave,  he  took  me  home  with  him. 
In  three  or  four  days  I  was  able  to  get  around 
again;  an',  beggin'  a  rifle  an'  some  powder  an' 
ball  of  the  ole  hunter,  I  started  out.  I  went 
straight  to  the  grave  that  contained  all  I  loved 
on  earth,  an'  there,  kneelin'  above  their  heads, 
I  swore  that  my  life  should  be  devoted  to  but 
one  object — vengeance  on  the  villains  who  had 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      255 

robbed  me  of  all  my  happiness.  How  well  I 
have  kept  my  oath  the  notches  on  my  knife 
will  show.  Seven  of  them  have  fallen  by  my 
tomahawk ;  one  only  is  left,  an'  that  is  Moun- 
tain Tom.  For  fifteen  long  years  I  have  been 
on  his  trail;  but  the  time  will  come  when  my 
vengeance  will  be  complete.' 

"  An'  the  ole  man  rolled  himself  up  in  his 
blanket,  an',  turning  his  back  to  me,  sobbed 
himself  to  sleep. 

"  But  my  story  is  not  yet  told,"  continued 
Dick.  "  About  a  year  arter  this,  Bill  an'  me 
were  ridin'  along,  about  noon,  in  a  little  val- 
ley among  the  mountains,  when  we  came,  all 
of  a  sudden,  on  the  camp  of  two  trappers. 

"  '  Heaven  be  praised !  there  he  is ! '  said  ole 
Bill. 

"  An',  swinging  himself  from  his  horse,  he 
strode  up  to  one  of  the  men,  who  sprang  from 
his  blanket,  and  ejaculated, 

"  '  Bill  Lawson !  " 

"  *  Yes,  Mountain  Tom,'  said  ole  Bill,  <  I'm 
here.  You  an'  me  have  got  a  long  reckonin'  to 
settle  now.' 

"  The  villain  at  first  turned  as  pale  as  a 
skewer;  but  he  seemed  to  regain  his  courage, 
and  exclaimed, 

" <  It  won't  take  us  long  to  settle  up.' 


256      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

"  And,  quick  as  lightnin',  he  drew  his  knife 
an'  made  a  pass  at  Bill. 

"  But  he  had  got  the  wrong  buck  by  the 
horn.  The  ole  man  was  as  quick  as  he;  an', 
grabbin'  hold  of  his  arm,  he  took  the  knife 
away  from  him  as  if  he  had  been  a  baby. 

" '  Tom,'  said  he,  as  he  drew  his  tomahawk 
from  his  belt,  '  I've  followed  you  all  over  this 
country  for  fifteen  years,  an',  thank  Heaven, 
I've  found  you  at  last.' 

" '  Oh,  Bill,"  shrieked  the  condemned  man, 
sinkin'  on  his  knees  before  the  ole  man,  i  I 
was — ' 

"  '  Stand  up,'  said  Bill,  ketchin'  hold  of  him, 
an'  jerkin'  him  to  his  feet.  '  You  were  brave 
enough  when  you  were  killing  my  wounded 
father.' 

"  <  Oh,  Bill—' 

"  '  With  the  tomahawk  you  killed  my  father, 
an'  by  the  tomahawk  you  shall  die.' 

" '  For  mercy's  sake,  Bill,'  again  shrieked 
the  terrified  man,  taking  hold  of  a  tree  for 
support,  *  hear  me ! ' 

"  The  tomahawk  descended  like  a  .streak  of 
light,  and  the  last  of  the  murderers  sank  at 
the  ole  man's  feet.  The  eighth  notch  was 
added  to  those  on  the  knife,  an  the  debt  was 
canceled." 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      257 
CHAPTER  XV. 

WILD  GEESE. 

ABOUT  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  boys 
concluded  that  it  was  about  time  to  start  for 
home ;  so,  after  putting  out  the  fire  and  fasten- 
ing the  door  of  the  cabin,  they  set  out.  Archie 
led  the  way,  with  a  'coon  slung  over  each 
s'houlder,  and  another  dangling  from  his  belt 
behind.  The  others  followed  close  after  him, 
in  "  Indian  file."  In  this  manner  they  marched 
through  the  woorls,  joking  and  shouting,  and 
talking  over  the  events  of  the  day,  and  now 
and  then  indulging  in  a  hearty  laugh  when 
they  happened  to  think  how  Archie  looked 
when  he  came  into  the  camp,  dripping  wet. 
But  Archie  took  matters  very  good-naturedly, 
and  replied, 

"  If  I  had  come  back  without  the  'coon,  I 
should  never  have  heard  the  last  of  ft;  and 
now  you  laugh  at  me  because  I  fell  into  the 
drink  while  I  was  trying  to  catch  him." 

In  half  an  hour  they  reached  the  edge  of 
the  timber,  and  were  about  to  climb  over  the 


258      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

fence  into  the  cornfield,  when  a  long,  loud 
bark  echoed  through  the  woods. 

"That's  Brave,''  exclaimed  Frank;  "and," 
he  continued,  as  all  the  dogs  broke  out  into  a 
continuous  cry,  "  they've  found  something. 
Let's  go  back." 

The  boys  all  agreed  to  this,  and  they  started 
back  fh  rough  the  wonds  as  fast  as  their  legs 
could  carry  them. 

A  few  moments'  run  brought  them  in  sight 
of  the  dogs,  sitting  on  their  haunches  at  the 
foot  of  a  stump,  that  rose  to  the  hight  of 
twenty  feet,  without  leaf  or  branch.  Near 
the  top  were  several  holes;  and,  as  soon  as 
Frank  discovered  these,  he  exclaimed, 

"  The  dogs  have  got  a  squirrel  in  here." 

"  How  are  we  going  to  work  to  get  him 
out'7"  inquired  Archie. 

<l  Let's  cut  the  stump  down,"  said  George. 

"  That's  too  much  sugar  for  a  cent,"  an- 
swered Harry.  "That  will  be  working  too 
hard  for  one  squirrel." 

"  Whv  will  it?  "  asked  George.  "  The  stump 
is  rotten." 

And  he  laid  down  his  'coon,  and  walked  up 
and  dealt  the  stump  several  lusty  blows  with 
his  ax. 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      259 

Suddenly  two  large  black  squirrels  popped 
out  of  one  of  the  holes  near  t'he  top,  and  ran 
rapidly  around  the  stump.  Quick  as  thought, 
Frank,  who  was  always  ready,  raised  his  gun 
to  his  shoulder,  and  one  of  the  squirrels  came 
tumbling  to  the  ground;  but,  before  he  had 
time  to  fire  the  second  barrel,  the  other  ran 
back  into  the  hole. 

"  Hit  the  tree  again,  George,"  exclaimed 
Harry,  throwing  down  his  'coon,  and  bringing 
his  gun  to  his  shoulder. 

"  It's  no  use,"  said  Frank ;  "  they  will  not 
come  out  again,  if  you  pound  on  the  stump 
all  day." 

George,  however,  did  as  his  brother  had  re- 
quested, but  not  a  squirrel  appeared. 

"  Let's  cut  the  tree  down,"  said  Archie. 

And,  suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  he  set 
manfully  to  work. 

A  few  blows  brought  off  the  outside  "  crust," 
and  the  heart  of  the  tree  was  found  to  be  de- 
cayed, and,  in  a  few  moments,  it  came  crash- 
ing to  the  ground,  and  was  shivered  into  frag- 
ments by  the  fall. 

The  bqys  supposed  that  there  was  only  one 
squirrel  in  the  tree,  and  were  running  up  to 
secure  him,  when,  to  their  surprise,  they  dis- 


z6o      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

covered  a  number  of  the  little  animals  scatter- 
ing in  different  directions,  and  drawing  "  bee- 
lines  "  for  the  nearest  trees. 

Frank  killed  one  with  his  remaining  barrel 
and  Harry,  by  an  excellent  shot,  brought  down 
another  that  had  climbed  up  into  the  top  of 
a  tall  oak,  and  was  endeavoring  to  hide  among 
the  leaves.  Brave  and  Sport  both  started 
after  the  same  one,  and  overtook  and  killed 
it  before  it  could  reach  a  tree;  but  the  gray- 
hound  came  very  near  losing  his.  As  soon  as 
the  stump  had  fallen,  he  singled  out  one  of 
the  squirrels,  and,  with  two  or  three  of  his 
long  bounds,  overtook  it;  but,  just  as  he  was 
going  to  seize  it,  the  squirrel  dived  into  a 
pile  of  brush,  out  of  the  reach  of  the  hound. 
A  few  loud,  angry  yelps  brought  Archie  and 
George  to  his  assistance,  and  they  immediately 
began  to  pull  the  pile  of  brush  to  pieces.  Sud- 
denly the  squirrel  darted  out,  and  started  for 
a  tree  that  stood  about  two  rods  distant.  The 
boys  threw  their  clubs  at  him,  but  he  reached 
the  foot  of  the  tree  unharmed.  At  this  mo- 
ment Lightfoot  discovered  him ;  two  or  three 
bounds  carried  him  to  the  tree,  and,  crouch- 
ing a  moment,  he  sprang  into  the  air,  and  at- 
tempted to  seize  the  squirrel.  But  he  was  just 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      261 

a  moment  too  late;  the  little  animal  had  as- 
cended out  of  his  reach ;  but  the  next  moment 
the  sharp  report  of  Harry's  gun  brought  him 
to  the  ground. 

The  squirrels  were  now  all  secured,  and  the 
young  hunters  again  turned  their  faces  home- 
ward. 

One  cold,  stormy  night,  in  the  latter  part 
of  October,  Frank  and  his  cousin  lay  snug  in 
bed,  listening  to  the  howling  of  the  wind  and 
the  pattering  of  the  rain  against  the  window, 
and  talking  over  their  plans  for  the  future, 
when,  all  at  once,  Frank  sat  upright  in  bed, 
and,  seizing  Archie's  arm  with  a  grip  that 
almost  wrung  from  him  a  cry  of  pain,  ex- 
claimed, 

"Listen!   listen!" 

And  the  next  moment,  clear  and  loud  above 
the  noise  of  the  storm,  they  heard  the  trumpet- 
like  notes  of  a  flock  of  wild  geese.  They  passed 
over  the  house,  and  the  sound  grew  fainter 
as  they  flew  rapidly  away. 

"  My  eye !  "  exclaimed  Archie,  "  don't  I 
wish  it  was  daylight,  and  we  stood  out  in  front 
of  the  house,  with  our  guns  all  ready!" 

"  That's  a  nice  thing  to  wish  for,"  an- 
swered Frank;  "but,  if  it  were  daylight,  we 


262      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

should  not  stand  any  better  chance  of  shooting 
them  than  we  do  here  in  bed." 

"  What's  the  reason." 

"  Why,  in  the  first  place,  if  they  went  over 
at  all,  they  would  fly  so  high  that  it  would 
need  a  rifle  to  reach  them;  and,  in  the  next 
place,  we  have  not  got  a  rifle.  Just  wait  until 
morning,  and  we'll  make  a  scattering  among 
them,  if  some  one  don't  get  the  start  of  us." 

"  I  suppose  we  are  not  the  only  ones  that 
have  heard  them." 

"  Not  by  a  good  deal.  I  shouldn't  wonder 
if  there  were  a  dozen  fellows  that  have  made 
up  their  minds  to  have  a  crack  at  them  in 
the  morning." 

And  Prank  was  right.  Many  a  young  hun- 
ter, as  he  lay  in  bed  and  heard  the  wild  geese 
passing  over,  had  determined  to  have  the  first 
shot  at  them,  and  many  a  gun  was  taken 
down,  and  cleaned  and  loaded,  in  readiness 
for  the  morning's  hunt. 

Wild  geese  seldom  remained  longer  than 
two  or  three  days  about  the  village,  and  then 
they  generally  stayed  in  the  swamp.  This 
made  it  difficult  for  the  young  hunters  to  get 
a  shot  at  them,  and  only  the  most  active  and 
persevering  ever  succeeded. 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      263 

Although  for  a  month  the  young  sportsmen 
had  been  expecting  them,  and  had  carefully 
scanned  the  river  every  morning,  and  listened 
for  the  welcome  "  honk-honk  "  that  should  an- 
nounce the  arrival  of  the  wished-for  game, 
this  was  the  first  flock  that  had  made  its 
appearance. 

"  I  am  afraid,"  said  Archie,  "  that  some  one 
will  get  the  start  of  us.  Let's  get  up." 

"  No ;  lie  still  and  go  to  sleep,"  said  Frank. 

"  I  am  afraid  we  shall  oversleep  ourselves. 
I  wonder  what  time  it  is." 

"  I'll  soon  find  out,"  said  Frank. 
And,  bounding  out  on  to  the  floor,  he  lighted 
a  match,  and  held  it  up  before  the  little  clock 
that  stood  on  the  mantel-piece. 

"  It's  twelve  o'clock,"  he  continued. 

And  he  crawled  back  into  bed,  and  in  a  few 
moments  was  almost  asleep,  when  Archie  sud- 
denly exclaimed,' 

"  They're  coming  back !  " 

And  the  geese  again  passed  over  the  house, 
in  full  cry. 

They  knew  it  was  the  same  flock,  because 
they  caine  from  toward  the  river,  and  that  was 
the  same  direction  in  which  they  had  gone  but 
a  few  moments  before. 


264      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

In  a  short  time  they  again  returned;  and, 
during  the  quarter  of  an  hour  that  followed, 
they  passed  over  three  times  more. 

"  I  wonder  what  is  the  matter  with  those 
geese,"  said  Archie,  at  length. 

"  Nothing,"  replied  Frank;  "  only  they  have 
got  a  little  bewildered,  and  don't  know  which 
way  to  go." 

"  Where  will  we  have  to  go  to  find  them  in 
the  morning?  " 

"  Up  to  the  swamp,"  answered  Frank.  "  The 
last  time  they  passed  over  they  flew  toward 
the  north,  and  the  swamp  is  the  only  place  in 
that  direction  where  they  can  go  to  find  water, 
except  Duck  Lake,  and  that  is  too  far  for  them 
to  fly  this  stormy  night." 

"  I  wish  it  was  morning,"  said  Archie,  again. 
"  Let's  get  up." 

"  What's  the  use?  It  will  be  five  long  hours 
before  it  will  be  light  enough  to  hunt  them 
up;  and  we  might  as  well  go  to  sleep." 

'•'  I'm  afraid  we  shall  sleep  too  long,"  said 
Archie,  again,  "and  that  some  one  will  beat 
us." 

"  ^"o  fear  of  that,"  answered  Frank ;  "  I'll 
u  up  at  three  o'clock." 

And  lie  turned  over  and  arranged  his  pillow,, 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      265 

and  in  a  few  moments  was  fast  asleep.  But 
Archie  was  so  excited  that  he  found  it  diffi- 
cult even  to  lie  still ;  and  he  lay  awake  almost 
two  hours,  thinking  of  the  sport  they  should 
have  in  the  morning,  and  at  last  dropped  into 
an  unquiet  slumber. 

It  seemed  to  him  that  he  had  hardly  closed 
his  eyes,  when  a  strong  hand  was  laid  on  his 
shoulder,  and  a  voice  said,  in  his  ear, 

"  Wake  up  here ;  it's  three  o'clock." 

He  did  not  need  a  second  call,  but  was  out 
on  the  floor  in  an  instant. 

It  was  still  storming.  The  wind  moaned 
and  whistled  through  the  branches  of  the  trees 
around  the  cottage,  and  sent  the  big  drops  of 
rain  rattling  against  the  window.  It  was  a 
wild  time  to  go  hunting,  and  some  boys  would 
have  preferred  tumbling  back  into  bed  again. 
But  Frank  and  his  cousin  had  made  up  their 
minds  that  if  any  one  got  a  shot  at  the  geese, 
they  were  to  be  the  ones. 

As  soon  as  they  were  dressed,  Frank  led 
the  way  into  the  kitchen,  and,  while  he  was 
lighting  a  fire,  Archie  brought  out  of  the 
pantry  a  pan  of  milk,  two  spoons  and  bowls, 
and  a  loaf  of  bread.  He  was  so  impatient  to 
"  get  a  crack  at  the  geese,"  as  he  said,  that, 


266      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

although  he  was  very  fond  of  bread  and  milk, 
he  could  scarcely  eat  at  all. 

"  I'm  afraid  some  one  will  get  the  start  of 
us,"  he  exclaimed,  noticing  that  his  cousin,  in- 
stead of  being  in  a  hurry,  was  taking  matters 
very  coolly. 

"  What  if  they  do?  "  answered  Frank,  delib- 
erately refilling  his  bowl  from  the  pan.  "We 
shall  stand  just  as  good  a  chance  as  they  do. 
It  will  not  be  daylight  these  two  hours.  It's 
as  dark  as  pitch,  and  all  we  can  do  is  to  go  up 
to  the  swamp,  and  get  under  a  tree,  and  wait 
until  it  is  light  enough  to  see  where  our  geese 
are." 

As  soon  as  they  had  finished  their  breakfast, 
the}^  brought  out  their  guns,  and  began  to 
prepare  for  the  hunt.  Extra  charges  were  put 
in  each  barrel;  and,  while  they  were  drawing 
on  their  rubber  coats,  Archie  said, 

"  We  had  better  leave  my  dogs  at  home, 
had  n't  we?  Lightfoot  would  make  too  much 
noise,  and  Sport,  although  he  would  keep  still 
enough,  would  be  of  no  use  to  us,  for  he  will 
not  go  into  the  water  after  a  wounded  bird." 

"  Yes,"  said  Frank,  "  we  had  better  leave 
them  behind.  But  we  must  have  Brave  with 
us.  I'll  go  and  call  him." 


Frank,  The  Yoimg  Naturalist.      267 

And  he  opened  the  door,  and,  walking  out 
upon  the  piazza,  which  ran  entirely  around  the 
cottage,  gave  a  low  whistle.  There  was  a 
slight  rustling  among  the  straw  in  the  kennel 
where  the  dogs  slept,  and  Brave  came  out,  and 
followed  his  master  into  the  house. 

After  wrapping  up  their  guns  in  their  coats, 
they  were  ready  to  set  out. 

Half  an  hour's  walk,  through  mud  up  to 
their  ankles,  brought  them  to  Uncle  Mike's 
house,  which  stood  at  the  end  of  the  road,  and, 
climbing  over  the  fence  that  inclosed  his  pas- 
ture, they  struck  off  through  the  woods  toward 
the  lake. 

After  picking  their  way  for  half  a  mile  over 
fallen  logs,  and  through  wet,  tangled  bushes, 
Frank,  who  was  leading  the  way,  suddenly 
stopped  and,  leaning  back  against  a  tree  to 
get  out  of  the  rain,  said, 

"  Here  we  are.  Had  we  better  try  to  cross 
the  creek  now,  or  shall  we  wait  until  day- 
light?" 

"  You  must  have  cat's  eyes,"  said  Archie, 
trying  to  peer  through  the  darkness.  "  I 
knew  there  was  a  creek  here  somewhere,  but 
I  didn't  suppose  we  had  reached  it  yet." 


268      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

"  Well,  we  have ;  and,  unless  I  am  very  much 
mistaken,  you  will  find  the  bridge  right  before 
you.  Shall  we  try  to  cross  it  now?  It  will  be 
a  slippery  job." 

The  "  bridge  "  that  Frank  referred  to  was 
simply  a  large  tree  that  the  boys  had  felled 
across  the  creek,  and  stripped  of  its  branches. 
It  could  easily  be  crossed  in  the  day-time,  but 
in  a  dark,  stormy  night  it  was  a  difficult  task 
to  undertake.  The  boys  could  scarcely  see 
their  hands  before  them;  and  Frank  had  ac- 
complished something  worth  boasting  of  in  be- 
ing able  to  conduct  his  cousin  directly  to  the 
bridge. 

"  It  will  require  the  skill  of  a  rope-dancer 
to  cross  that  bridge  now,"  said  Archie;  "and 
if  we  should  happen  to  slip  off  into  the  water, 
we  would  be  in  a  nice  fix." 

"  Besides,"  said  Frank,  "  if  we  did  succeed 
in  crossing,  we  could  not  go  far  in  the  dark, 
on  account  of  the  swamp;  so,  I  think,  we  had 
better  wait." 

The  boys  stood  under  the  tree,  talking  in 
low  tones,  when  Frank  suddenly  exclaimed, 

"  We're  all  right.  The  geese  are  in  the  lake, 
Do  you  hear  that?  " 

Archie  listened,  and  heard  a  splashing  in 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      269 

the  water,  mingled  with  the  hoarse  notes  of 
the  gander. 

"  I  wish  it  was  daylight,"  said  he,  impa- 
tiently. 

"  Don't  be  in  a  hurry,"  said  Frank ;  "  there's 
time  enough." 

"  I'm  afraid  they  will  start  off  as  soon  as  it 
gets  light." 

"  Oh,  no ;  the  lake  is  a  good  feeding-ground, 
and  they  would  stay,  perhaps,  all  day,  if  they 
were  not  disturbed." 

In  about  an  hour  the  day  began  to  dawn; 
and,  as  soon  as  objects  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  creek  could  be  discerned,  Frank  led  the 
way  across  the  bridge.  A  short  run  through 
the  woods  brought  them  to  the  swamp. 

Now  the  hunt  began  in  earnest.  The  swamp 
was  covered  with  water,  which,  in  some  places, 
was  two  feet  deep;  and  the  trees  and  bushes 
grew  so  thick,  that  it  was  with  difficulty  that 
they  could  work  their  way  through  them.  Be- 
sides, they  were  obliged  to  proceed  very  care- 
fully, for  every  step  brought  them  nearer  the 
?;aine ;  and  the  slightest  splashing  in  the  water, 
OP  even  the  snapping  of  a  twig,  might  alarm 
them. 


270      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 


they  found  themselves  on  the 
shore  of  the  lake;  and,  peering  out  from  be- 
hind a  thicket,  where  they  had  crept  for  con- 
cealment, they  discovered,  about  half-way  to 
the  opposite  shore  as  fine  a  flock  of  geese  as 
one  would  wish  to  see — fifteen  of  them  in  all. 
They  were  swimming  around,  turning  their 
heads  first  one  way  and  then  the  other,  as  if 
they  had  been  alarmed. 

"It's  a  long  shot,  isn't  it?"  said  Archie, 
measuring  the  distance  with  his  eye. 

"  Yes,"  answered  his  cousin ;  -"  but  that  is 
not  the  worst  of  it;  they  are  getting  further 
away  from  us  every  moment." 

"  Well,"  said  Archie,  cocking  his  gun,  and 
pushing  it  carefully  through  the  bushes,  "  you 
be  ready  to  take  them  as  they  rise." 

As  he  spoke  he  took  a  quick  aim  at  the 
nearest  of  the  flock  and  pulled  the  trigger. 
The  cap  snapped. 

"  Plague  on  the  gun ! "  he  exclaimed. 
"  Shall  I  throw  it  in  the  lake !  " 

"  No,  no,"  answered  Frank ;  "  try  the  other 
barrel ;  and  you  had  better  be  quick  about  it — 
they're  going  to  fly." 

Archie  again  raised  his  gun  to  his  shoulder. 
This  time  there  was  no  mistake.  The  nearest 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      271 

of  the  geese  received  the  entire  charge,  and  lay 
dead  on  the  water. 

Frank  now  waited  for  his  turn;  but  the 
geese,  after  skimming  along  the  surface  of  the 
water  until  they  were  out  of  gun-shot,  rose  in 
the  air,  and  flew  rapidly  across  the  lake. 

As  the  boys  stood  watching  their  flight,  they 
saw  a  cloud  of  smoke  issue  from  a  clump  of 
bushes  on  the  opposite  shore,  followed  by  the 
report  of  a  gun,  and  one  of  the  flock  fell  to  the 
water,  and  another,  evidently  badly  wounded, 
rose  high  in  the  air,  and  flew  wildly  about. 
Another  puff  of  smoke  rose  from  the  bushes, 
a  second  report  was  heard,  and  the  wounded 
bird  came  tumbling  into  the  lake. 

The  geese,  surprised  at  this  sudden  repulse, 
quickly  wheeled,  and  flew  back  toward  the 
place  where  our  hunters  were  stationed. 

Frank  raised  his  gun  to  his  shoulder,  and, 
as  soon  as  they  came  within  range,  he  pulled 
the  trigger,  and  brought  down  two  geese — one 
stone-dead,  and  the  other  with  a  broken  wing. 
Hardly  waiting  to  see  the  effect  of  the  shot,  he 
fired  his  second  barrel  at  the  flock,  just  as  they 
were  disappearing  over  the  tops  of  the  trees. 
They  had  flown  so  high,  that  he  hardly  ex- 
pected the  shot  would  prove  effective.  To  his 


272      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

surprise,  one  of  the  flock  gradually  fell  behind, 
and,  after  trying  in  vain  to  support  itself,  fell 
slowly  through  the  air,  until  it  almost  reached 
the  water;  then  it  seemed  to  regain  the  power 
of  using  its  wings,  and  began  to  fly  more 
regularly. 

"  Try  your  gun  again,  Archie,"  said  Frank ; 
"  I'm  afraid  we  are  going  to  lose  him." 

Archie  accordingly  drew  a  bead  on  the 
goose,  but  with  no  better  success,  and  the  bird 
speedily  disappeared  over  the  trees. 

"  Confound  my  luck !  "  exclaimed  Archie, 
impatiently.  "  I'll  try  and  keep  1113-  powder 
dry  after  this." 

"  He  can't  fly  far,"  said  Frank.  "  Let's  be 
lively,  and  we  will  have  him  yet.  Here, 
Brave ! "  he  continued,  pointing  to  the  geese 
in  the  lake,  "  fetch  'em  out !  " 

Brave  plunged  into  the  water,  and  made  to- 
ward the  nearest  of  the  geese,  which  happened 
to  be  the  one  Frank  had  wounded.  As  soon 
as  the  bird  saw  him  approaching,  instead  of 
trying  to  save  himself  by  flight,  he  raised  him- 
self in  the  water,  elevated  his  uninjured  wing, 
and  set  up  a  loud  Uss.  But  these  hostile  dem- 
onstrations, instead  of  intimidating  the  New- 
foundlander, served  rather  to  enrage  him, 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      273 

and  he  kept  on,  with  open  mouth,  ready  to 
seize  the  game.  The  moment  he  came  within 
reach,  the  goose  thrust  out  his  long  neck,  and, 
catching  Brave  by  the  ear,  dealt  him  a  hard 
blow  over  the  head  with  his  wing.  But  he  did 
not  have  time  to  repeat  it,  for  the  dog  gave  a 
loud,  angry  yelp,  and,  springing  forward  in 
the  water,  seized  the  goose,  and  killed  it  with 
a  single  bite;  then,  'turning  round,  he  swam 
back  to  the  shore,  deposited  the  game  at  his 
master's  feet,  and  again  plunged  in  to  bring 
out  the  others. 

"  I  wonder  who  that  is  on  the  other  side  of 
the  lake?  "  said  Archie. 

"  I  guess  it's  Bill  Johnson,"  answered 
Frank,  who  had  reloaded  his  gun,  and  stood 
holding  it  in  the  hollow  of  his  arm.  "  I  saw  a 
dog  that  looked  very  much  like  his  bringing 
out  the  geese.  There  he  is  now ! " 

And  as  he  spoke  the  boy  stepped  out  of  the 
bushes,  and  a  loud,  shrill  whistle  echoed  across 
the  lake. 

"That's  Bill,"  said  Archie.  "Hallo!"  he 
continued,  raising  h;s  voice  so  that  William 
could  hear ;  "  wait  for  us  at  Uncle  Mike's — 
will  you?  " 

"All  right,"  shouted  William,  in  reply. 


274      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

And,  gathering  up  his  game,  he  again  dis- 
appeared in  the  bushes. 

By  this  time  Brave  had  brought  out  the  last 
of  the  geese,  and  Archie  had  succeeded  in 
shooting  off  the  wet  charge;  so  they  started 
back  toward  the  road. 

Frank  led  the  way,  carrying  three  of  the 
geese ;  Brave  followed  close  at  his  heels,  carry- 
ing the  fourth;  and  Archie  brought  up  the 
rear,  loading  his  gun  as  he  went. 

An  hour's  walk  brought  them  to  Uncle 
Mike's,  where  they  found  William  sitting  on 
the  fence  waiting  for  them. 

"What  luck?"  inquired  Archie,  as  they 
came  up. 

"  Only  two,"  answered  William ;  "  but  you 
have  been  more  fortunate." 

"  Yes,"  said  Archie,  "  we've  got  four ;  and 
Frank  wounded  another  so  badly  that  he  can't 
fly  far.  We  are  going  to  look  for  him  in  the 
creek,  as  we  go  along/' 

"  And  I  hope  we  shall  get  him,"  said  Frank ; 
"  for  he  was  the  largest  of  the  flock,  and  I 
want  him  for  our  museum." 

The  boys  walked  slowly  down  the  creek, 
keeping  a  good  look-out  for  the  wounded  bird 
among  the  reeds  along  the  bank;  for  they 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      275 

reached  the  cottage  without  seeing  any  signs 
of  him. 

"  I'm  afraid  we've  lost  him/'  said  Archie. 

"  I'm  sorry,"  said  Frank,  u  for  he  was  a  nice 
big  fellow.  Let's  go  back ;  perhaps  we've  over- 
looked him.  I  am  certain  that  he  could  not 
have  flown  to  the  river." 

At  this  moment  a  slight  splashing  in  the 
water,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  creek,  at- 
tracted their  attention,  and  they  discovered 
their  game  swimming  slowly  about  among  the 
reeds,  as  if  trying  to  find  some  place  of  conceal- 
ment. 

"  Now,  Archie,"  said  Frank,  dropping  the 
butt  of  his  gun  to  the  ground,  "  there's  a 
chance  for  you  to  retrieve  your  lost  reputa- 
tion." 

"  And  I'll  take  advantage  of  it,"  said  Ar- 
chie, raising  his  gun  to  his  shoulder. 

A  loud  report  followed  his  words,  and  the 
goose,  after  a  few  slight  struggles,  lay  motion- 
less on  the  water.  Brave  immediately  sprang 
into  the  creek,  and,  forcing  his  way  among 
the  reeds,  seized  the  bird  and  brought  it  to 
the  shore. 


276      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

A  CHAPTER  OF  INCIDENTS. 

THE  next  day  had  been  set  apart  by  Frank 
and  his  cousin  for  a  squirrel-hunt;  but  the 
first  thing  they  heard,  when  they  awoke  in  the 
morning,  was  the  pattering  of  the  rain  against 
their  bed-room  window,  and  the  hunt  was,  to 
use  Archie's  expression,  "  up  stump."  Al- 
though they  had  been  expecting  exciting  times, 
bringing  down  the  squirrels  (for  the  woods 
were  fairly  alive  with  them),  and  were  a  good 
deal  disappointed  at  being  obliged  to  postpone 
their  intended  excursion,  they  were  not  the 
ones  to  complain ;  they  knew  there  would  be 
many  pleasant  days  before  the  winter  set  in, 
and  the  hunt  was  put  off  without  ceremony. 

They  were  at  no  loss  to  know  how  to  pass  the 
day.  There  was  plenty  of  work  to  be  done: 
their  traps  must  be  overhauled  and  put  in 
working  order;  the  Speedwell  was  waiting  to 
be  dismasted  and  put  under  cover;  their  fish- 
ing-tackle must  be  oiled  and  packed  away, 
their  pets  taken  care  of  and  provided  with 
^winter-quarters;  and  there  was  a  host  of  other 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      277 

things  to  attend  to;  and  they  were  in  no  fear 
that  the  time  would  hang  heavily  on  their 
hands. 

As  soon  as  the  boys  were  dressed,  they  went 
into  the  shop  and  set  manfully  to  work.  Ar- 
chie kindled  a  fire  in  the  stove — for  it  was  a 
cold,  unpleasant  day — and  Frank  pulled  from 
under  the  work-bench  a  large  chest,  filled  with 
spring-traps,  "  dead-falls,"  broken  reels,  scraps 
of  lead,  and  numberless  other  things  he  had 
collected,  and  began  to  pull  over  the  contents. 
The  traps  were  taken  out  and  subjected  to  a 
thorough  rubbing  and  greasing. 

While  thus  engaged,  their  attention  was  at- 
tracted by  the  peculiar  "  cawing  "  of  a  crow 
that  flew  over  the  shop,  and,  a  moment  after- 
ward, a  whole  chorus  of  the  harsh  notes 
sounded  in  the  direction  of  the  woods.  The 
boys  hurried  to  the  door,  and  saw  a  multitude 
of  crows  pouring  from  every  part  of  the  woods, 
cawing  with  all  their  might,  and  directing 
their  course  toward  a  large  pine-tree,  which 
stood  in  the  meadow  back  of  the  orchard,  and 
which  was  already  covered  with  them. 

"  What's  the  matter?  "  inquired  Archie. 

"  They  act  as  if  they  had  discovered  an  owl," 
answered  Frank. 


278      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

"  Have  they?    Let's  go  and  shoot  him." 

"  That  will,  probably,  be  a  harder  job  than 
you  anticipate,"  said  Frank.  "  However,  we 
will  try." 

After  shutting  the  dogs  up  in  the  shop,  the 
boys  ran  into  the  house,  drew  on  their  rubber 
coats,  and  started  through  the  orchard,  load- 
ing their  guns  as  they  went — putting  an  extra 
charge  of  powder  and  a  couple  of  buck-shot 
into  each  barrel. 

In  a  few  moments  they  reached  the  fence 
that  ran  between  the  orchard  and  the  meadow, 
and  Archie  inquired, 

"What  shall   we  do   now?" 

"  We  can't  go  much  further,"  said  Frank, 
drawing  a  flap  of  his  coat  over  his  gun,  to 
protect  it  from  the  rain.  "  There  isn't  a 
stump,  or  even  a  tuft  of  grass,  in  the  meadow 
large  enough  to  cover  us.  Besides,  if  we  un- 
dertake to  climb  over  the  fence,  every  crow 
will  be  out  of  sight  in  a  moment;  then  good- 
by,  owl." 

"  He  wouldn't  fly  off,  would  he?  " 

"  I  should  say  he  would,"  answered  Frank, 
with  a  laugh.  "  He'd  leave  like  a  streak  of 
lightning." 

"  That's  news  to   me.     I  always  thought 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      279 

owls  couldn't  see  in  the  day-time.     Natural 
history  says  so/' 

"  I  know  it,"  said  Frank.  "  But  there  is 
one  thing  certain :  they  must  be  able  to  see 
a  little,  or  else  their  sense  of  smell  or  hearing 
is  very  acute,  for  it  is  very  difficult  to  get  a 
shot  at  them,  even  in  the  day-time.  That  one 
in  our  museum  led  me  a  chase  of  half  a  day 
before  I  shot  him,  and  I  had  a  rifle,  too." 

"What  is  to  be  done  now?"  inquired  Ar- 
chie. "  We  don't  want  to  stand  here  in  the 
rain  much  longer." 

"  We  must  wait  until  he  flies  into  the  woods, 
or  somewhere  else,  so  that  we  can  get  a  shot 
at  him." 

"  I  can  make  him  fly.  I've  killed  squirrels 
further  off  than  that,  many  a  time.  Suppose 
I  shoot  at  him?" 

'"  Shoot  away;  but  you  must  remember  that 
an  owl  and  a  squirrel  are  two  different  things. 
The  thick  feathers  of  the  owl  will  glance  a 
charge  of  shot  that  would  blow  a  squirrel  to 
pieces." 

Archie  made  no  reply,  but  crawled  up  be- 
hind a  thick  cluster  of  currant-bushes  that 
grew  close  by  the  fence,  and,  thrusting  his 
gun  between  the  branches,  was  settling  him- 


280      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

self  into  a  comfortable  position,  when  the  owl 
suddenly  leaped  from  his  perch,  and  flew  off 
toward  the  woods,  as  Frank  had  said  he 
would,  "  like  a  streak  of  lightning,"  followed 
by  the  whole  flock  of  his  tormentors,  which 
screamed  with  all  their  might. 

"  Now's  our  time,"  said  Frank.  "  Come 
on!" 

And,  clearing  the  fence  at  a  bound,  he 
started  across  the  meadow  at  the  top  of  his 
speed.  Archie  followed  close  at  his  heels, 
and  a  few  minutes'  run  brought  them  to  the 
edge  of  the  woods. 

"  Now  the  hunt  begins  in  earnest,"  said 
Frank.  "  We  must  separate ;  we  shall  make 
too  much  noise  if  we  go  together." 

"Where's  the  owl?"  inquired  Archie. 

"  As  near  as  I  can  guess,  he  must  be  in  that 
tall  hemlock,"  answered  Frank,  pointing 
through  the  woods  toward  the  tree  in  question. 

Archie  immediately  moved  cautiously  off 
in  the  direction  indicated,  leaving  his  cousin 
to  take  care  of  himself. 

Guided  by  the  noise  made  by  the  crows,  he 
soon  discovered  the  owl,  not  where  Frank 
had  supposed  him  to  be,  but  on  a  tree  that 
stood  to  the  right,  and  several  rods  further 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      281 

off.  Placing  a  large  tree  between  himself  and 
the  game,  he  threw  himself  on  his  hands  and 
knees,  and  crawled  along  as  silently  as  possi- 
ble, taking  good  care  to  keep  out  of  sight  of 
the  crows. 

He  had  arrived  almost  within  range  of  the 
owl,  when  he  found  before  him  a  spot  of  con- 
siderable extent,  which  was  entirely  destitute 
of  bushes  or  large  trees,  and  covered  only  with 
saplings,  which  grew  so  thinly  that  he  would 
certainly  be  discovered  if  he  attempted  to  pass 
through  them.  This  brought  him  to  a  stand- 
still. He  stood  thinking  whether  he  had  bet- 
ter risk  a  shot  at  the  owl  or  retrace  his  steps, 
when  one  of  the  crows  uttered  a  cry  of  warn- 
ing, which  was  immediately  answered  by  the 
others,  and  the  whole  flock  was  out  of  sight 
in  an  instant.  The  owl  gazed  around  a  mo- 
ment with  his  great  eyes,  then  spread  his 
wings,  leaped  into  the  air,  and  was  flying 
rapidly  away,  when  there  was  a  sharp  report, 
and  he  came  tumbling  to  the  ground,  and  the 
indefatigable  Frank  rose  from  the  bushes,  and 
ran  forward  to  secure  his  prize. 

"  Dished  again ! "  said  Archie,  to  himself. 
"  I  would  have  wagered  a  good  deal  that 
Frank  was  not  within  gun-shot." 


282       Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

"  I  say,  Archie,  where  are  you?  v  called  out 
Frank. 

"  Here  I  am.  I  thought,  sure,  that  owl  was 
mine." 

And  Archie  came  forward,  holding  his  gun 
in  the  hollow  of  his  arm,  and  looking  a  little 
crest-fallen. 

"  You  were  not  far  behind,"  said  Frank, 
laughing. 

"  That's  poor  consolation.  I  wanted  to  be 
first.  Never  mind,"  he  added,  catching  up  the 
owl,  and  throwing  it  over  his  shoulder,  "  I'll 
be  ahead  of  you  yet." 

This  generous  rivalry  had  existed  between 
the  cousins  from  their  earliest  boyhood.  In 
all  athletic  sports — such  as  running,  ball- 
playing,  swimming,  and  the  like — Archie  was 
acknowledged  to  be  the  superior ;  but  in  hunt- 
ing Frank  generally  carried  off  the  palm. 
Archie,  however,  perseveringly  kept  up  the 
contest,  and  endeavored  to  accomplish,  by 
bold  and  rapid  movements,  what  his  cousin 
gained  by  strategy;  and,  although  he  some- 
times bore  off  the  prize,  lie  more  frequently 
succeeded  in  "  knocking  every  thing  in  the 
head''  by  what  the  boys  called  his  "careless- 
ness." 

This  was  the  source  of  a  great  deal  of  mer- 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      283 

riinent  between  the  cousins;  and,  although 
they  sometimes  felt  a  little  mortified  at  their 
defeat  (as  did  Archie  now),  they  ever  after- 
ward spoke  of  it  as  a  "  good  joke." 

After  breakfast  the  boys  went  into  the  shop 
again,  and  Frank  sharpened  his  knife,  and  be- 
gan to  remove  the  skin  of  the  owl,  intending  to 
stuff  it  and  place  it  in  the  musuem,  while 
Archie  took  his  ax  and  started  for  a  grove  of 
willows,  that  grew  on  the  banks  of  the  creek, 
to  get  some  timber  to  make  a  dead-fall  trap, 
lie  had  been  gone  scarcely  a  moment  before 
he  returned  in  a  great  hurry,  and,  throwing 
down  his  ax,  seized  his  gun,  which  stood  in 
the  corner  behind  the  door,  exclaiming, 

"  Now  I've  got  a  chance  to  make  up  for 
losing  that  owl.  A  flock  of  ducks,  regular 
canvas-backs,  have  just  flown  over,  and  I 
think  they  lit  in  the  swamp.  You'll  have  to 
make  tracks  to  get  the  start  of  me  this  time." 

Ar^l  he  shouldered  his  gun,  and  ran  out 
of  the  shop,  banging  the  door  after  him. 

Frank  immediately  dropped  the  owl,  caught 
up  his  gun,  and  started  in  hot  pursuit.  But 
his  cousin  had  made  the  most  of  his  time,  and, 
when  Frank  reached  the  gate,  he  saw  Archie 
far  up  the  road,  tearing  along  as  fast  as  his 


284      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

legs  could  carry  him,  and  spattering  the  mud 
in  every  direction. 

Under  any  other  circumstances,  Frank 
would  have  stopped  to  laugh ;  but,  as  it  was,  he 
had  no  time  to  lose.  So  he  ran  down  the  bank 
of  the  creek,  and,  untying  his  skiff,  pushed  out 
into  the  stream,  and  a  few  strokes  of  the  oars 
brought  him  to  the  opposite  shore;  then, 
fastening  the  skiff  to  a  tree,  he  started  through 
the  woods,  toward  the  swamp.  This  enabled 
him  to  gain  on  his  cousin  almost  half  a  mile. 

But  Archie  happened  to  have  luck  on  his 
side  this  time ;  for  the  ducks,  instead  of  alight- 
ing in  the  swamp,  as  he  had  supposed,  had 
come  down  in  the  creek ;  and,  as  he  was  hurry- 
ing along  the  road,  which  ran  close  to  the 
creek,  a  slight  splashing  in  the  water  and  a 
hoarse  "  quack  "  attracted  his  attention,  and 
caused  him  to  proceed  with  more  caution. 
He  listened  until  the  noise  was  repeated,  in 
order  that  he  might  know  exactly  where  the 
ducks  were,  and  then  began  to  worm  his  way 
through  the  wet  bushes,  in  the  direction  of  the 
sound.  At  length  lie  crawled  up  behind  a 
large  log,  that  lay  close  to  the  water's  edge, 
and  had  the  satisfaction  of  finding  the  game 
fairly  before  him. 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      285 

But  the  most  difficult  part  of  the  under- 
taking was  vet  to  come.  The  ducks — seven 
of  them  in  all — were  fully  twenty  rods  off; 
and,  although  Archie  had  great  confidence 
in  the  "  shooting  qualities "  of  his  gun,  he 
hardly  dared  to  fire — he  might  only  wound  the 
birds;  and,  as  he  had  no  ammunition  with  him 
besides  the  loads  in  his  gun,  he  was  anxious 
to  make  every  shot  tell. 

"  This  won't  do,"  he  soliloquized.  "  I  must 
get  up  nearer." 

He  was  about  to  retrace  his  steps,  when  he 
noticed  that  the  ducks  began  to  move  im- 
patiently around,  and  acted  as  if  about 
to  fly. 

In  an  instant  Archie's  mind  was  made  up; 
it  was  now  or  never;  and,  taking  a  quick  aim 
at  the  nearest  of  the  flock,  he  blazed  away. 
It  was  his  only  chance,  and  a  slim  one  at  that, 
for  the  distance  was  so  great  that  he  hardly 
expected  the  shot  would  take  effect;  but, 
when  the  smoke  cleared  away,  he  discovered 
one  of  the  flock  lying  motionless  on  the  water, 
and  another,  too  badly  wounded  to  rise,  was 
swimming  slowly  around  him.  The  rest  of 
the  flock  were  skimming  along  the  surface  of 
the  creek,  toward  the  swamp.  They  were  far 


286      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

beyond  the  range  of  his  gun,  and  he  knew  it 
would  do  no  good  to  fire  at  them;  so  he  con- 
cluded, to  use  his  own  expression,  to  "  make 
sure  of  what  he  had  got/'  and,  taking  aim  at 
the  wounded  bird,  was  about  to  give  it  the 
contents  of  the  other  barrel,  when  he  heard  the 
report  of  a  gun  some  distance  further  up  the 
creek,  and  looked  up  just  in  time  to  see  one 
of  the  birds  fall  into  the  water. 

"  Who's  that,  I  wonder,"  said  Archie,  to 
himself.  "  It  can't  be  Frank,  for  he  wouldn't 
be  on  that  side  of  the  creek;  besides,  I  had  a 
good  long  start  of  him." 

His  soliloquy  was  cut  short  by  the  move- 
ments of  the  flock,  which,  instead  of  continu- 
ing on  their  course  up  the  creek,  rose  higher 
in  the  air,  and  flew  about  in  confusion. 

This  opportunity  was  not  lost  by  the  con- 
cealed sportsman,  and  a  second  bird  came 
down  with  a  broken  wing.  The  ducks  then 
wheeled  and  flew  back  toward  the  place  where 
Archie  was  stationed.  As  soon  as  they  came 
within  range,  he  fired  and  brought  down  an- 
other bird,  which  landed  among  the  bushes  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  creek. 

He  now  turned  his  attention  to  the  wounded 
duck,  which  was  swimming  in  a  circle  around 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      287 

his  dead  companion,  as  If  perfectly  bewil- 
dered. 

"  I  wish  I  had  my  powder-flask  and  shot- 
bag,"  said  Archie.  "  How  foolish  I  was  not  to 
bring  them!  I  bet  that  I'll  never  start  out 
again  with  only  one  load  in  my  gun." 

But  there  was  no  time  for  regrets.  The 
duck  seemed  to  be  recovering  his  strength, 
and  began  to  flap  his  wings,  as  if  preparing  to 
fly.  Archie  began  to  fear  that  he  should  lose 
him ;  and,  throwing  down  his  gun,  he  gathered 
up  an  armful  of  sticks  and  branches,  and 
straightway  opened  fire  on  the  bird.  The 
duck  dodged  the  missiles  like  a  flash,  and 
every  now  and  then  renewed  his  attempts  to 
fly ;  but,  at  length,  a  heavy  piece  of  root  struck 
him,  and  stretched  him  out  lifeless  on  the 
water. 

"  Ha !  ha !  ha !  "  laughed  a  strong,  cheery 
voice.  "  That's  what  I  call  shooting  ducks 
under  difficulties." 

Archie  looked  up  and  saw  his  cousin  stand- 
ing on  the  opposite  side  of  the  creek,  with  his 
gun  on  one  shoulder  and  two  of  the  flock  slung 
over  the  other.  • 

"  I  came  very  near  getting  the  start  of  you, 
after  all — didn't  I?"  continued  Frank. 


288      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

"Was  that  you  shooting  up  there?"  in- 
quired Archie. 

'•  Yes ;  I  had  almost  reached  the  swamp, 
when  I  happened  to  think  that  perhaps  the 
ducks  might  be  in  the  creek,  so  I  turned  back." 

"  A  lucky  circumstance  for  you.  But  I  beat 
you,  after  all.  I've  got  three  ducks." 

"Where  are  they?     I  don't  see  but  two." 

"  The  other  is  over  there  in  the  bushes, 
somewhere." 

Frank  immediately  commenced  looking  for 
it,  and  Archie  procured  a  long  branch,  and 
waded  out  as  far  as  possible  into  the  creek, 
and,  after  considerable  exertion  and  a 
thorough  wetting,  succeeded  in  pulling  both 
of  his  ducks  to  the  shore. 

During  the  three  weeks  that  followed,  the 
boys  passed  the  time  in  various  ways — some- 
times hunting  in  the  woods  or  on  the  river, 
but  more  frequently  working  in  the  shop. 
They  also  spent  considerable  time  in  attend- 
ing to  their  pets.  The  young  otter  proved  to 
be  the  most  interesting  little  animal  they  had 
ever  seen.  He  grew  quite  tame,  and  when  the 
boys  entered  the  room  where  he  was  kept,  he 
would  come  toward  them,  uttering  a  faint 
whine,  and,  if  they  seated  themselves,  he  would 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      280 

jump  up  into  their  laps,  and  search  through 
their  pockets  for  something  to  eat — such  as 
bread  or  crackers,  of  which  the  boys  always 
took  especial  care  to  have  a  good  supply. 

At  length  they  began  to  long  for  winter, 
and  many  were  the  speculations  as  to  when 
the  "  first  fall  of  snow  "  would  come.  Their 
traps  were  all  in  order,  and  they  were  im- 
patient for  an  opportunity  to  make  use  of 
them.  Besides,  they  had  agreed  with  George 
and  Harry  to  "  go  fox-hunting  the  very  first 
time  there  was  snow  enough  for  tracking." 

A  week  more  passed,  and  Thanksgiving  Day 
came;  and  in  the  evening  Frank  and  his 
cousin  went  down  to  visit  George  and  Harry, 
intending,  as  they  said,  to  "  stay  only  a  few 
minutes.''  But  Mr.  Butler  soon  came  in,  and 
began  to  relate  some  of  his  "  sailor  yarns,"  as 
he  called  them  (for  he  was  a  retired  sea-cap^ 
tain),  and  the  boys  became  so  interested  in 
listening  to  them,  that  they  did  not  notice 
how  rapidly  the  time  flew  by,  and  it  was  ten 
o'clock  before  they  knew  it.  They  then  bade 
the  Captain  "  good-night."  George  and  Harry, 
as  usual,  agreed  to  accompany  them  part  of 
the  way,  and,  when  they  reached  the  door, 
what  was  their  surprise  to  find  the  ground 


290      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

white  with  snow,  and  the  air  filled  with  the 
rapidly-falling  flakes. 

"  We'll  have  that  fox-hunt  to-morrow,"  ex- 
claimed Harry,  in  delight. 

"  Of  course  we  will,"  said  Archie,  "  and  I 
wouldn't  take  ten  dollars  for  my  chance  of 
catching  one." 

"'  You  mean  if  the  snow  doesn't  melt," 
said  Frank,  quietly. 

"  Oh,  that's  always  the  way  with  you,"  said 
Archie.  "  What  makes  you  try  to  throw  cold 
water  on  all  our  expectations,  in  that  way?" 

"  I  didn't  intend  to,"  answered  Frank,  with 
a  laugh ;  "  but,  you  know,  we  have  been  dis- 
appointed very  often." 

"  Yes,"  said  George,  "  but  I  guess  we  are 
all  right  this  time.  It  snows  pretty  fast,  and 
the  air  doesn't  feel  like  a  thaw  or  rain." 

Frank  acknowledged  this;  and  they  walked 
along,  talking  about  the  exciting  times  the}1 
expected  to  have  on  the  morrow,  until  they 
reached  the  "  big  elm  " — a  large  tree  that 
stood  leaning  over  the  creek,  just  half-way 
between  Captain  Butler's  and  where  Frank 
lived.  Here  George  and  Harry  stopped,  and, 
after  promising  to  be  at  the  cottage  early  on 
the  following  morning,  turned  their  faces 
homeward. 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist."    291 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

THE   GRAYHOUND   OUTGENERALED. 

next  morning,  at  an  early  hour,  George 
and  Harry  arrived  at  the  cottage,  and,  after 
a  light  and  hastily-eaten  breakfast  they  set 
out.  Frank  and  Harry  were  armed,  as  usual, 
with  their  guns,  while  the  others  carried  axes. 
They  crossed  the  meadow  at  the  back  of  the 
orchard,  passed  through  the  cornfield  which 
had  been  the  scene  of  the  'coon-hunt,  a  few 
weeks  before,  and  struck  out  through  the 
woods.  The  dogs  were  then  sent  out  ahead, 
and  they  had  not  gone  more  than  half  a  mile, 
when  Sport  uttered  a  long,  loud  howl,  and, 
when  the  boys  came  up  with  him,  he  was  run- 
ning impatiently  about  with  his  nose  close  to 
the  ground. 

"  A  fox  has  been  along  here,"  said  Frank, 
bending  over  and  examining  a  track  in  the 
snow,  "  and  the  trail  looks  fresh." 

"  Hunt  'em  up !  hunt  'em  up !  "  shouted  Ar- 
chie, excitedly,  waving  his  hand  to  the  dogs. 


292      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

Sport  bounded  off  on  the  track  like  a  shot, 
and  Liglitfoot  followed  close  after.  Brave 
barked  and  howled  furiously,  and  acted  as  if 
he  wished  very  much  to  accompany  them ;  but 
the  swift  hounds  would  have  distanced  him 
in  a  moment. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  it  was  the  in- 
tention of  the  boys  to  follow  up  the  hounds — 
that  would  have  been  worse  than  useless. 
Perhaps  the  chase  would  continue  for  several 
hours.  They  had  once  hunted  a  fox  all  day, 
without  coming  in  sight  of  him.  Reynard 
has  ways  and  habits  of  his  own,  which  a  per- 
son who  has  had  experience  in  hunting  him 
understands.  He  always  runs  with  the  wind, 
and  generally  follows  a  ridge.  The  hunters 
take  advantage  of  this,  and  "  run  cross-lots  " 
to  meet  him,  sometimes  gaining  on  him  sev- 
eral miles  in  this  manner. 

The  moment  the  hounds  had  disappeared 
on  the  trail,  Frank — who  knew  all  the  "  run- 
ways  "  of  the  game  like  a  book — led  the  way 
through  the  wood*  toward  a  ridge  that  lay 
about  a  mile  distant,  where  they  expected  the 
fox  would  pass. 

A  quarter  of  an  hour's  run  brought  them  to 
this  ridge,  and  they  began  to  conceal  them- 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      293 

selves  behind  trees  and  bushes,  when  Archie 
suddenly  exclaimed, 

"  We're  dished,  boys.  The  fox  has  already 
passed." 

"  Come  on,  then,"  said  Frank.  "  No  time 
to  lose.  We  must  try  again." 

And  he  again  led  the  way,  on  a  keen  run, 
through  a  strip  of  woods,  across  a  wide 
meadow  toward  another  ridge,  that  lay  fully 
three  miles  distant. 

At  length  the  baying  of  the  hounds  echoed 
through  the  woods,  far  below  them.  Louder 
and  louder  it  grew,  and,  in  a  few  moments, 
they  swept  up  the  ridge  in  full  cry.  The  boys 
hurried  on  as  rapidly  as  possible,  and  reached 
the  ridge  in  about  an  hour.  Although  they 
were  accustomed  to  such  sport,  they  were 
pretty  well  tired  out.  They  had  run  the 
greater  part  of  the  way  through  thick  woods, 
filled  with  fallen  logs  and  tangled  bushes; 
but  they  now  felt  confident  that  the  hunt  was 
nearly  over.  They  knew  they  had  gained  con- 
siderably on  the  fox,  and  his  capture  would 
be  an  ample  reward  for  their  trouble. 

As  soon  as  they  reached  the  ridge,  they 
threw  themselves  rapidly  across  it  in  all  direc- 
tions, and,  to  their  delight,  discovered  that 


294      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

the  fox  had  not  yet  passed.  They  stationed 
themselves  in  such  a  manner  that  it  would 
be  impossible  for  him  to  pass  on  either  side 
of  them  without  coming  within  reach  of  their 
guns,  and  patiently  awaited  his  appearance. 
They  had  not  remained  long  in  this  position, 
when  Archie,  who  was  stationed  lowest  down 
the  ridge,  exclaimed,  in  a  subdued  voice, 

"  There  they  come,  boys !  Now,  look  sharp ! ' 

The  boys  listened  intently,  and  heard,  faint 
and  far  off,  the  well-known  bay  of  Sport.  It 
was  sharp  and  short — very  different  from  tha 
note  he  had  uttered  when  the  chase  first  com- 
menced. Louder  and  louder  grew  the  noise, 
as  the  hounds  came  rapidly  up  the  ridge 
toward  the  place  where  the  boys  were  sta- 
tioned, and  every  one  was  on  the  alert,  ex- 
pecting every  moment  to  see  the  fox  break 
cover. 

Suddenly  a  loud  howl  blended  with  Sport's 
baying,  and  the  hounds  seemed  to  turn  and 
sweep  down  the  valley. 

"  The  fox  has  left  the  ridge,  boys,"  said 
Frank. 

"  Then  we're  dished  again,"  exclaimed  Ar- 
chie. 

"  Perhaps    not,"    continued    Frank.     "  He 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      295 

will  have  to  go  across  the  meadow,  and  will 
run  the  risk  of  being  caught  by  Lightfoot. 
We  must  try  and  cut  him  off." 

And  he  led  the  way  down  the  rid^e,  in  the 
direction  the  chase  was  tending. 

In  a  few  moments  the  hounds  broke  out  into 
a  continuous  cry,  and,  when  the  boys  emerged 
from  the  woods,  they  saw  them  standing  at 
the  foot  of  a  tall  stump,  which  stood  near  the 
middle  of  the  meadow. 

Brave  immediately  ran  to  join  them,  and 
Harry  exclaimed, 

"  I'd  like  to  know  what  those  dogs  are  do- 
iug  ther%?  " 

"  Why,  they've  got  the  fox  treed,"  said 
Frank. 

"  A  fox  treed !  "  repeated  Harry,  with  a 
laugh.  "  Who  ever  heard  of  such  a  thing?  " 

"  I  have  often  read/'  answered  Frank,  "  that 
when  a  fox  is  hard  pressed,  and  finds  him- 
self unable  to  escape,  he  will  take  advan- 
tage of  any  place  of  concealment  he  can 
find." 

While  this  conversation  was  going  on,  the 
beys  had  been  running  toward  the  stump,  and, 
when  they  reached  it,  they  found  Brave  with 
his  head  buried  in  a  hole  near  the  ground. 


296      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

now  and  then  giving  his  tail  a  jerk,  but  other- 
wise remaining  as  motionless  as  a  statue. 

"  What  do  you  think  now  of  the  possibility 
of  treeing  a  fox?  "  inquired  Frank,  turning  to 
Harry. 

"  I  don't  believe  it  yet,"  said  the  latter. 

"Then  how  is  it  that  the  dogs  are  here?" 

"  The  fox  may  have  run  down  here  and 
doubled  on  his  trail,  and  thus  thrown  the 
dogs  off  the  scent." 

"  He  didn't  have  time  to  do  that,"  said  Ar- 
chie, who  had  divested  himself  of  his  coat,  and 
stood  with  his  ax,  ready  to  cut  down  the 
stump.  "  He's  in  here,  I'm  certain.  *See  how 
Brave  acts." 

"  It  will  not  take  long  to  find  out,"  said 
George,  who  was  a  good  deal  of  his  brother's 
opinion  that  the  fox  was  not  in  the  tree. 

And  he  and  Archie  set  to  work,  with  the  in- 
tention of  cutting  it  down.  But  it  was  found 
to  be  hollow;  and,  after  taking  out  a  few  chips, 
Archie  stooped  down  to  take  a  survey  of  the 
interior,  and  spied  the  fox  crouched  in  the 
darkest  corner. 

"  Hand  me  your  gun,  Frank,"  said  he;  "  I'll 
shoot  him." 

"I  wouldn't  shoot  him,  said  Frank.     "It 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.       297 

is  a  good  time  to  try  Lightfoot's  speed.  Let'& 
get  the  fox  out,  and  give  him  a  fair  start,  and 
if  he  gets  away  from  the  hound,  he  is  entitled 
to  his  life." 

The  boys  readily  agreed  to  this  proposal — 
not  out  of  any  desire  to  give  the  fox  a  chance 
for  his  liberty,  but  in  order  to  witness  a  fair 
trial  of  the  grayhound's  speed,  and  to  enjoy 
the  excitement  of  the  race. 

George  and  Barry  provided  themselves  with 
long  poles,  with  which  to  "  poke  "  the  fox  out 
of  his  refuge.  Brave  and  Sport  were  uncere- 
moniously conducted  away  from  the  tree,  and 
ordered  to  "  lie  down ; "  and  Frank  took  hold 
of  the  grayhound,  intending  to  restrain  him 
until  the  fox  could  get  a  fair  start. 

"  All  ready  now,"  said  Archie.  "  Keep  a 
good  look-out,  Frank,  and  let  the  hound  go 
the  instant  the  fox  comes  out.  You  know, 
Lightfoot  is  young  yet,  and  it  won't  do  to 
give  the  game  too  long  a  start." 

"All  right,"  answered  Frank. 

And  he  tightened  his  grasp  on  the  strong, 
impatient  animal,  which  struggled  desper- 
ately to  free  himself,  while  George  nnd  Harry 
began  the  work  of  "  poking  out  the  fox."  They 
thrust  their  poles  into  the  holes  they  had  cut 


2Q8      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

in  the  roots  of  the  stump,  and  the  next  moment 
out  popped  the  fox,  and  started  toward  the 
woods  like  a  streak  of  light. 

The  meadow  was  about  a  mile  and  a  half 
square,  and  was  laid  off  in  "  dead  furrows  " 
— deep  ditches,  which  are  dug,  about  four  roils 
apart,  to  drain  off  the  water.  The  fox  took 
to  the  bank  of  one  of  these  furrows,  and  fol- 
lowed it  at  a  rate  of  speed  which  the  boys 
had  never  seen  equaled. 

The  moment  Lightfoot  discovered  him,  ho 
raised  himself  on  his  hind-legs,  and  struggled 
and  fought  furiously.  But  Frank  would  not 
release  him  in  that  position,  for  fear  the  hound 
would  "throw''  himself;  and  he  commenced 
striking  him  on  the  head,  to  compel  him,  if 
possible,  to  place  his  forefeet  on  the  ground, 
but  all  to  no  purpose. 

During  the  struggle,  short  as  it  was,  the 
fox  had  gained  nearly  thirty  rods.  Archie 
was  not  slow  to  notice  this,  and  he  shouted 
to  his  cousin, 

"  Let  him  go!  let  him  go!  The  fox  has  too 
long  a  start  already.'' 

Frank  accordingly  released  the  hound, 
which  made  an  enormous  bound,  and,  as 
Frank  had  expected,  he  lauded,  all  in  a  heap, 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      299 

in  one  of  the  dead  furrows,  and,  before  he 
could  recover  himself,  the  fox  had  gained  two 
or  three  rods  more.  But  when  the  hound  wa.s 
fairly  started,  his  speed  was  astonishing.  He 
settled  down  nobly  to  his  work,  and  moved 
over  the  ground  as  lightly  as  if  he  had  been 
furnished  with  wings. 

Had  he  been  a  well-trained  dog,  the  boys 
would  have  felt  no  concern  whatever  as  to  the 
issue  of  the  race;  but,  as  it  was,  they  looked 
upon  the  escape  of  the  fox  as  a  very  probable 
thing.  The  fox  was  still  following  the  dead 
furrow,  and  Lightfoot,  instead  of  pursuing 
directly  after  him,  as  he  ought  to  have  done, 
took  to  another  furrow  which  ran  parallel 
to  the  one  the  fox  was  following,  and  about 
four  rods  from  it. 

The  fox  had  a  good  start,  but  the  enormous 
bounds  of  the  grayhound  rapidly  lessened  the 
distance  between  them;  he  gained  at  every 
step,  and  finally  overtook  him,  and  the  two 
animals  were  running  side  by  side,  and  only 
four  rods  apart. 

Suddenly  the  cunning  fox  turned,  and 
started  off  exactly  at  right  angles  with  the 
course  he  had  been  following.  The  grayhound, 
of  course,  had  not  been  expecting  this,  and  he 


300      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

made  a  dozen  of  his  long  bounds  before  he 
could  turn  himself.  During  this  time  the  fox 
gained  several  rods. 

As  before,  the  hound  pursued  a  course 
parallel  with  that  of  the  fox,  instead  of  fol- 
lowing directly  after  him. 

In  a  few  moments  they  were  again  running 
side  by  side,  but  this  time  further  apart  than 
b^re.  Again  and  again  the  fox  turned,  each 
time  nearing  the  woods,  and  gaining  consider- 
a'/v;  and  finally,  reaching  the  end  of  the 
meadow,  he  cleared  the  fence  at  a  bound,  and 
disappeared  in  the  bushes. 

"Now,  that's  provoking !"  exclaimed  Ar- 
chie. 

"  Never  mind,"  answered  Frank.  "  I  don't 
think  the  fox  can  go  much  further.  He  must 
be  pretty  well  tired  out,  judging  by  the  way  he 
ran.  Here,  Sport !  "  he  continued,  "  hunt  'em 
up!" 

Sport  was  off  like  a  shot,  and  the  boys  fol 
lowed  after  as  fast  as  their  legs  could  carry 
them. 

When  they  reached  the  woods,  they  found  . 
Lightfoot  beating  about  in  the  bushes,  as  if 
he  expected  to  find  the  fox  concealed  among 
them.     Sport  was  standing  over  the  trail  of 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      301 

the  fox,  as  motionless  as  if  he  had  been  turned 
into  stone. 

"  Hunt  'em  up !  "  shouted  Frank,  again — 
"  hunt  'eiu  up." 

The  hound  uttered  a  loud  bark,  and  in- 
stantly set  off  on  the  trail,  and  Lightfoot,  as 
before,  followed  close  at  his  heels. 

"  Now,"  exclaimed  Frank,  "  we  must  change 
our  tactics." 

"  Yes,"  said  Harry.  "  A  little  further  on, 
the  ridge  branches  off,  and  there  is  no  know- 
ing which  one  the  fox  will  follow.  Come, 
George,  we  will  go  this  way." 

And  he  turned  and  ran  down  into  the 
meadow  again. 

"  Run  like  blazes,  now !  "  shouted  Frank. 

And,  suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  he 
turned  off  in  the  opposite  direction,  and  led 
the  way  through  the  woods  at  a  rate  which 
made  Archie  wonder.  They  ran  along  in  "  In- 
dian file  "  —Brave  bringing  up  the  rear — for 
almost  two  miles,  through  the  thickest  part 
of  the  woods,  when  they  again  found  them- 
selves on  the  ridge.  After  ascertaining  that 
the  fox  had  not  yet  passed,  they  took  their 
stations. 

"  I  would  really  like  to  know  which  way 


302      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

that  fox  went,"  said  Archie,  panting  hard 
after  his  long  run. 

"  I  am  almost  certain  that  he  took  to  the 
other  ridge,"  answered  Frank.  "  I  think  we 
should  have  heard  the  hound  before  this  time, 
if  he  had  turned  this  way." 

They  remained  in  their  places  of  conceal- 
ment for  almost  an  hour,  without  hearing  any 
sounds  of  the  chase,  and  Frank  said, 

"  We  might  as  well  start  for  home." 

"  Dished  again,  are  we?  "  said  Archie,  in  a 
deprecating  tone.  "  That's  too  bad!  Well," 
he  continued,  "  we  can't  always  be  the  for- 
tunate ones;  but  I  wish  I  could  have  had  the 
pleasure  of  shooting  that  fox.  But  which  way 
do  we  go  to  get  home?  '• 

"  We  must  go  exactly  south,"  said  Frank. 

"Which  way  is  that?" 

"  I  will  soon  tell  you." 

And  Frank  drew  a  small  compass  from  his 
pocket,  and,  in  a  moment,  continued, 

"  This  is  the  way.     Come  on !  " 

And  he  turned  his  face,  as  Archie  thought, 
directly  from  home,  and  struck  boldly  out. 
Their  long  run  had  taxed  their  endurance  to 
the  utmost.  If  they  had  '•  been  in  practice," 
they  would  have  looked  upon  it  as  merely  a 


Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist.      303 

"  little  tramp;"  for,  during  the  previous  win- 
ter, they  had  often  followed  a  fox  all  day  with- 
out experiencing  any  serious  inconvenience; 
but,  as  this  was  the  first  exercise  of  the  kind 
they  had  had  for  almost  a  year,  they  felt  the 
effects  of  it  pretty  severely. 

Archie,  who  had  lived  in  the  city  during 
the  summer,  was  "  completely  used  up,"  as 
he  expressed  it ;  and  his  cousin  was  weary  and 
foot-sore;  and  it  seemed  as  though  neither  of 
them  had  sufficient  strength  left  to  take  an- 
other step. 

They  kept  on,  hour  after  hour,  however, 
without  once  stopping  to  rest;  and,  about 
three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  they  climbed 
over  the  fence  that  enclosed  Uncle  Mike's 
pasture,  and  came  in  sight  of  the  cottage. 

George  and  Harry  were  sitting  on  the 
piazza,  and,  as  soon  as  they  came  within 
speaking  distance,  the  latter  held  up  the  fox, 
exclaiming, 

"  We  were  lucky,  for  once  in  our  lives." 

"  If  we  had  been  five  minutes  later,  we 
should  have  lost  him,"  said  George,  as  Frank 
and  his  cousin  came  up  to  where  the  brothers 
were  sitting.  "  We  reached  the  ridge  just  in 
the  '  nick  of  time.'  The  fox  was  just  passing, 


304      Frank,  The  Young  Naturalist. 

and  Harry  brought  him  down  by  a  chance 
shot.  Here,  Prank,"  he  continued,  "  you  take 
the  fox;  we  have  no  use  for  him." 

Frank  thanked  him ;  and  the  boys  then  went 
into  the  house,  and,  after  dinner,  the  brothers 
started  for  home. 

Frank  and  his  cousin  went  into  the  study, 
and  the  former  selected  his  favorite  book  from 
his  library,  and  settled  himself  in  an  easy- 
chair  before  the  fire;  while  Archie  stretched 
himself  on  the  bed,  and  was  fast  asleep  in  a 
moment. 

And  here,  reader,  we  will  leave  them  repos- 
ing after  their  long  run ;  but  we  hope  soon  to 
introduce  them  again  in  works  entitled, 
"  FRANK  IN  THE  WOODS,"  and  "  FEANK  ON  THE 
PRAIRIE." 

THE  END. 


OF  CALIFO^ 


THE  LTBKXKY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
LOS  ANGELAS 

fc*E — "—  *-^      •— *-    --    -' 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FAC  LIT* 


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